


Isla Nublar

by ariiiana



Category: Ylvis
Genre: Gen, a little bit angst a lotta bit danger, basically dinosaurs everywhere, bro feels, brovis abroad, h/c, lots of action and lots of cursing, lots of gross mosquitoes, no wife no kids au, oh and did i mention dinosaurs, people do get eaten in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 23:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4282263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariiiana/pseuds/ariiiana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the past twenty years, scientists have mastered the art of dinosaur cloning. In the past thirty, Vegard still hasn't mastered the art of helping Bård through a bad breakup. Despite this, he's going to try to do whatever it takes to make his brother happy again - even if that means fighting off genetically mutated dinosaur hybrids in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. un

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally started working on a different story that I was hoping to have up here pretty soon, but the other day I went to watch Jurassic World for the first time and like 15 seconds in during one specific scene I just knew that I was going to turn the movie into a fic. I had no choice not to. So that basically explains why I'm here. 
> 
> Anyway, this story follows the basic premise of the movie. If you've seen it, good. I won't need to explain much to you. If you haven't seen it, all you need to know is that 1) just in case it matters to you, there are spoilers galore (although, in a way, not really because this is fanfiction and I've tweaked like 99.9% of the characters/storyline to benefit my own agenda) and 2) it's 2015 and someone stupid thought it was a good idea to not only make real dinosaurs "a thing", but also put a bunch of real dinosaurs on a secluded island and then charge ridiculous amounts of money for tourists to come from around the world and ogle at them like circus animals. Oh, and someone also thought it was a good idea to create a new monstrous hybrid species in a laboratory. Go figure. 
> 
> *If you're curious, there is a website for the resort this story takes place in. http://www.jurassicworld.com/

Vegard was aware of two things the moment he stepped out onto the deck and back into the sun. One, Costa Rica was hot. Like really hot. He'd come to expect that much when he'd booked the flight over here. Honestly, the appeal of a Central American paradise had seduced him to the point where he couldn't even think straight. Norway was cold and rainy and a tad too gray for his liking. At least lately. He craved the warmth of the sunlight and the feel of the ocean breeze against his skin. He craved some time outside of the office. But the moment he stepped off of the plane, he'd realized that a tropical vacation wasn't always all it was cracked up to be. The different climate was a bit of a change from the chills of his homeland and, though he welcomed the sun with all of his will, he figured out quite fast that he could walk around outside in the humidity for maybe four and a half minutes tops before it started to get uncomfortable. He was sweaty, his clothes were starting to stick to his skin, and he'd already been bitten by countless flying bugs that he was starting to question whether or not he'd made the right choice in choosing this as his getaway destination.

The second thing he was aware of was that he was an idiot. Okay, so Costa Rica was hot and there was a lot of mosquitoes. It wasn't that big of a big deal. He'd gotten the warmth he had asked for, and the bugs were more of a general nuisance than anything. He wasn't too concerned about them. At least not like that American woman he'd met outside of the Juan Santamaría International Airport the day he'd arrived in San José. She had slathered her children so thickly in sunscreen and bug repellent that he could smell their fumes from a mile away. Or, in his case, maybe seven feet. Malaria, she said. She didn't want them to get malaria. Vegard didn't want to get malaria either, but he also didn't want to smell like a factory. Bugs were just part of the package deal and he had been prepared for that, at the very least mentally. He wasn't going to complain.

Bård had done enough complaining throughout the trip for the both of them already.

As he craned his neck and squinted out into the sun, Vegard sighed. He'd wanted to come on this vacation not only because he'd wanted to go on a vacation, but also (and mostly) because he knew that his brother desperately needed it. Bård had been so despondent lately, since his breakup with his long-time girlfriend Maria a few weeks prior, and Vegard had gotten quite sick of seeing him wallowing so much. He knew that Bård had really liked Maria. They'd been together since they were teenagers and Vegard had always found her quite pleasant to be around. Bård was lucky to have had her, and likewise Maria lucky to have him. They had seemed suspiciously perfect for each other. But suddenly, what seemed like out of nowhere, the two had started struggling with problems in their relationship. Maria was unsatisfied with how much Bård was working. Understandable, since he was working a lot more than he wasn't, but she knew from the get-go that his career was going to keep him busy. She'd suffered through enough years and had never had too much to say about it before.

Vegard had felt bad for her at the time because he knew that she had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to make their relationship work, just as Bård had. But when he found out that she had cheated on his brother for the past five months, all the pity he'd initially felt for her doubled and intensified. Bård had worked his ass off for years trying to make her happy, trying to make her feel important. He'd tried to marry her about a thousand times over but for some reason she had always wanted to put it off a bit longer, until things 'settled down'. He hadn't known what that had meant, but now he was beginning to realize that Maria had expected Bård to eventually choose between her and his career. If faced with a real decision, Bård would have easily chosen the woman he loved. There was no doubt about it. He was like that. But things had never really been that clear in the past, and Maria had never really openly discussed her true desires with Bård until it was too late.

Vegard felt awful for his brother, naturally, but he felt even worse for Maria. She had made such a foolish mistake leaving Bård after so much time. She had lost more than she could ever really know, and Vegard had no doubt that she would spend the rest of her life regretting this. Nobody had loved Maria like Bård had loved Maria. It wasn't likely that anyone ever would. She didn't deserve that again after what she did. Vegard typically had no sympathy with cheaters, especially when it pertained to people he cared about getting hurt, but in this case he found it necessary to make an exception. He felt for his brother, truly, but eventually Bård would be okay. He knew it. He would personally make sure that it was so. But Maria had never had much of a support system outside of the Ylvisåkers, and now that she had lost not only Bård but his entire family, she was going to suffer alone. At the very least she had her other boyfriend to keep her company. But Vegard didn't like thinking about that. Vegard didn't like thinking about Maria at all.

He could only imagine how it felt for Bård to think of her. Bård had done so much thinking lately, so much self blaming, so much questioning. Vegard worried his brother was going to have some sort of breakdown soon if he didn't get some time to clear his mind. Getting through the day at the office was stressful enough at times, but Bård was truly becoming depressed. Vegard knew that if he wanted things to go well for any of them, he needed to intervene, and fast.

He'd been talking about taking a vacation like this somewhere for a while now, so when he was faced with the opportunity to, he took it with two hands almost immediately. He thought the trip would be a nice surprise for his aching brother, and that maybe getting him out of his usual environment for a little while would somehow help cheer him up. At least temporarily. Vegard hated seeing his brother so down. He was not usually very adept with dealing with other people's emotions. He'd tried to talk to Bård but in this case he wasn't sure how to really help. He thought maybe by doing this, by planning this vacation abroad, Bård would not only see that Vegard cared about him and wanted him to be happy, but that there was an entire world out there just waiting to be seen and touched. Bård had every right to sulk and be upset, and Vegard had tried to give him time to do so. It was important that he grieved. But he didn't want Bård to do that forever. There were ample opportunities out there to do so much, and endless amounts of people to meet. Losing Maria was an awful thing, sure, but it wasn't the end of the world. And in the long run, maybe, Bård would see that this time of hardship was just that. Just a time.

There was always a good side to every situation. Vegard liked to think as much. Bård, on the other hand, was having some trouble seeing things in that perspective.

Vegard felt taking his brother on a spontaneous trip to Costa Rica was as good an idea as any. And basically the only idea he had left. Bård had talked about wanting to come here for years, especially since he'd always wanted to visit the internationally famous Jurassic World, a holiday resort and habitat park on a secluded island called Isla Nublar, somewhere off the coast of Costa Rica. The park had officially opened in late 2005 and housed a variety of species of dinosaur. Dinosaurs had gone extinct long before humankind had begun thriving, but with modern science and technology, they'd managed to clone and essentially bring the long admired beasts back to life. Over the years, Vegard had questioned why humanity even felt this was necessary. Dinosaurs didn't seem to fit into the modern world, and as a child he had fond memories of visiting fossil exhibits in local museums. That had been enough. There had been an attempt to open a park like Jurassic World back in the 1990's. Things then had not gone so well, which admittedly wasn't much of a surprise but more of an eventuality.

However, ten years after Jurassic World officially opened its doors to the public, there still had not been any major problems in the park. Not anymore than any other zoo. Of course the risk level was slightly elevated when it came to dealing with these prehistoric beasts, but then again dealing with lions and tigers was also dangerous. There were plenty of specialists trained in dealing with these animals now, and Jurassic World had consistently been rated as the safest wildlife park in the entire world. Vegard wasn't worried about how secure the animals were. If it wasn't safe, the park wouldn't be open, and thousands of parents would not continue to bring their children there annually. Vegard didn't completely agree with the cloning of the animals, with the way they were forced to spend their lives in cages, but he had to admit that there was a strong fascination and curiosity he had with seeing them in person for once - and, he figured, it was probably better that they remain caged up as opposed to let free to roam in the wild anyway.

Scientists had learned more about genetics in the past few years than they ever had after decades of digging up bones. He thought that was cool. And it was every child's dream to be able to see a dinosaur up close and personal. Now that that was finally a real possibility, Vegard didn't see a good enough reason why not to. A hundred years ago, even a _thousand_ years ago, none of this would have been possible. He felt lucky to be alive during such a confounding time in scientific history. To have the opportunity to see a real life, living dinosaur with his own two eyes. And knowing Bård, he was just as enthralled by the idea as he was.

He'd expected Bård to jump at the chance to visit the island, since he'd often mentioned in the past his desires to see the place for himself, but surprisingly Bård had tried to decline Vegard's offer. It had taken quite a bit of coaxing and cajoling on Vegard's part before Bård finally agreed to join him on the grand adventure, but primarily on the basis that he felt bad that Vegard had already spent a lot of money to book their flights and hotel, rather than that he was excited to spend some relaxing time in Central America with his brother.

Vegard had tried to remain positive about the trip. He knew that Bård was hesitant to come along, and he didn't blame his reluctance. Bård was going through a very difficult time and was not in the mood for an expedition of any sort, but Vegard felt that getting his brother distracted would be worth it. He wasn't expecting Bård to be totally content the moment they left. Vegard knew he had to be realistic. He warned himself before they left that he was going to be dealing with the same sulky, grumpy brother for the next five days (the next week, if counting the days they took to travel to and from), just in another (much more enchanting and tropical) setting.

However, despite this, he _was_ expecting Bård to at least be a little excited and entertained throughout their trip. There were certainly times when Vegard got a genuine smile or laugh out of his brother, but the joy was usually short lived. So far Bård had managed to spend the majority of the time in the country asleep in the hotel, pretending to be asleep in the hotel, and complaining about how much he preferred to be asleep in the hotel rather than wandering aimlessly down humid, foreign streets. Vegard had tried to be patient with his brother the past few days, but he was growing tired and discouraged. His plan to cheer Bård up was clearly not working as well as he'd hoped. Bård certainly liked Costa Rica, but he would probably like it much more if he wasn't too preoccupied in his own head. Vegard felt he too would have enjoyed Costa Rica more if only Bård had been more willing to have a little fun with him. But it wasn't fair to blame Bård for any of this. Vegard had basically dragged him here against his will, and even though he knew that Bård appreciated it, Vegard was starting to feel a little guilty about doing so.

Maybe this trip was too much. Maybe he was pushing Bård too hard to get over things so quickly. He tried to be understanding, but he found that he was quite disappointed in how anticlimactic their holiday had been so far. Bård was doing his best to not be a miserable travel partner, but he was clearly not having as much of a good time as Vegard was trying to. Bård had repeatedly told Vegard to go out and do what he liked, that he shouldn't feel the need to stay with him at all times if there was something he wanted to do. Bård didn't want to hold Vegard back from having the time of his life, but Vegard didn't feel right leaving his brother by himself when he was obviously hurting so badly. He'd managed to convince Bård to join him at the beach and for a walk in the city center to grab a few drinks, but other than that, Bård had wanted to do very little with him at all.

Last night, Vegard had once again tried to talk to Bård about what was going on, to see if there was maybe something he could do to make the trip easier or more enjoyable for him. Bård told him he just wanted to be alone for a little while and left the hotel on his own accord. He didn't return until hours later, when the sky was dark. When Vegard asked Bård what he had been doing or where he had gone, Bård explained he had just gone for a walk around town to clear his head. Vegard could see Bård's eyes were red, as if he had been crying. He'd wanted to ask about it but decided against it, knowing that Bård didn't want to be seen as so vulnerable. They went to bed after that. Bård fell asleep almost instantly, exhausted in every sense of the word, but Vegard lied awake in bed for at least another hour or two, unable to sleep. Unsure of what to do for his brother.

This morning, they had checked out of their hotel and had taken a shuttle to the port, where they boarded a ferry to Isla Nublar. The island was always so congested with visitors that the ferry ran numerously throughout the day, every day of the week, every day of the year. The vessel itself was so large it was capable of transporting gross hoards of people at one time, and even had a place to purchase refreshments and souvenirs on board. Vegard had left Bård to fetch a few snacks, feeling himself a little hungry from having skipped breakfast that morning. While there he debated getting Bjarte a souvenir keychain, but eventually decided to wait to see what the actual park offered instead. Surely they had a larger variety of gift shops there. He'd promised everyone he would bring them back something good. He'd also promised himself that he would do his best to make sure Bård was having the best experience he possibly could.

With two water bottles and a bag of treats in tow, Vegard weaved through the boisterous crowd aboard the ferry. He'd been gone maybe five or six minutes, and now Bård was no longer in sight. He'd left him sitting on a bench on the bottom deck, focused on a game on his phone. Apparently at some point between then and now, an elderly woman and her grandchildren had come and taken their spots. Vegard frowned and continued to make his way through the clusters of families and nature enthusiasts, searching in vain for his missing brother. By now Bård could really be anywhere, and with so many people around him, it could be an actual eternity before they were reunited. Vegard wished he had the opportunity to text Bård about his whereabouts, but so far they'd had a terrible wireless connection on vessel, and he wasn't entirely convinced that his message, nor Bård's, would ever even go through to begin with.

It took a few minutes, but finally Vegard spotted Bård by the side of the ferry, leaned up by his elbows against the safety railing. He was peering out over the swirling water, seemingly transfixed. Vegard quietly joined him at his side. When Bård noticed his arrival, he turned away from the view and glanced at him.

"Hey," Vegard greeted.

"Hey, you're back."

"Yeah. It took a little longer than I thought it would to pay. There was a bit of a line. And then I couldn't find you. Why did you move?"

"I gave up my seat to an old lady. And I wanted to come watch the water anyway. It's really pretty out here."

Vegard nodded. He felt Norway was the most beautiful place in the world, and perhaps he was a bit biased in thinking that, but Costa Rica definitely was a close second. Perhaps if it weren't so bloody humid all the time and if there weren't so many pesky bugs, he could imagine himself retiring in a place like this. He liked Europe, and liked the weather there, but he'd always wanted to experience living in a climate more like this one, at least for a little while. "Yeah, it is. I just wish it wasn't so fucking hot."

Bård hummed in agreement.

"Here," Vegard said, pushing a cold water bottle into Bård's hands. "Drink this. We've got to stay hydrated."

"Okay."

"I've got some cookies and some chips too, if you want any. They didn't have a very large selection, so unfortunately I couldn't be too picky, but I figured anything was better than nothing. My stomach is starting to growl." Vegard held the bag of goodies up for Bård to see. There had been a mishap in the morning. The alarm they'd expected to wake them had failed for some reason. They'd both slept longer than they'd originally planned, and in turn had to spend the rest of the morning rushing to get checked out of the hotel before they missed the ferry. Because of this, they'd had to miss breakfast. Bård had never been big on eating breakfast anyway, so he didn't seem to mind that much, but Vegard liked to have fuel in him early in order to get through the day. The moment they got to the island, he was going to buy himself a proper meal.

"Thanks. Maybe in a little bit."

Vegard nodded again and glanced over the railing at the spectacular view. The water beneath them was deep and dark, the sky above them perfectly clear. It was an image Vegard could imagine seeing on a postcard. In the distance, if one looked carefully enough, one could see the island of Isla Nublar beginning to appear. They would be there soon, and then they could start having some real fun. They had only a couple days left in Central America before they returned to Oslo, and Vegard was determined to make the next two days the best two days of the trip so far. Once they got to the resort and got checked into their hotel, they would be free to explore the island and the park for as long as they pleased. He was more and more anxious to get there and see what Isla Nublar had to offer as the seconds ticked by, and he hoped Bård was feeling a similar way. Vegard knew that he would enjoy the resort no matter what, but he was hoping that he and Bård could enjoy it together. Things were always better when it was the two of them.

"Can you believe there are actual living, breathing dinosaurs on that island?" he asked.

Bård released a breath and shook his head. "No. Not really."

"I mean, I know it's been a while since de-extinction has come into play," said Vegard. "We've had actual dinosaurs around for the past, I don't know, twenty years, I guess. But even though I see them all the time on TV and on the internet, I don't think I can really believe it completely until I'm actually there. I won't be able to wrap my head around it fully until I'm actually looking at one face to face."

"Are you planning on being face to face with a dinosaur?"

Vegard laughed. "Well, maybe not _that_ close. I don't have a death wish. But you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm just excited. It's hard to really put it into words. I'm really excited to be here."

Bård gave him a look. "Me too. I've thought about this for a long time. It's nice to finally be doing this."

Vegard smiled, relieved to hear that his brother was also excited. If Bård was in good spirits, it meant they had a good chance of having a good day. Not that the other days hadn't been good days. As far as things went, Vegard had been enjoying his vacation overall. It was just that he hadn't been sure Bård was enjoying it nearly as much, which in turn made him feel a tad guilty for enjoying himself at his brother's expense. But Bård had woken looking a little livelier this morning. Perhaps his solo walk through the city the previous night had helped after all. "Good. I'm glad. You should be having fun."

"Yeah. I'm sorry that I've been so awful lately."

"Huh?"

"I don't know. Are you having fun?"

Vegard furrowed his brows. "Of course I am. Aren't you?"

"I'm having fun," Bård confirmed, returning his focus to the horizon. "I just wondered if maybe I was ruining it a little bit."

"Ruining what?"

"Your trip."

"My trip? No. Of course not. Why do you think you'd be ruining it?"

Bård shrugged.

Vegard frowned. "You're not ruining it. You're not ruining anything. And it's not just _my_ trip. It's ours. It's for the both of us."

"I thought you only invited me along because you felt sorry for me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm sad about Maria."

"I know you are. But I would've invited you whether or not that was the case." Vegard paused. "Are you okay?"

Bård sighed and gripped the hand railing, hard. After a moment, he pulled away and nodded his head, giving Vegard a resolved look. "Yeah. I'm okay. I just want you to have a good time and I feel like maybe I'm messing that up for you."

Vegard shook his head. "You're not messing that up."

"But if I was messing it up, you'd tell me. Right?"

"Bård, you're not messing it up."

"But if I was?"

Vegard shook his head again, giving Bård a serious look. "You're _not_ messing it up. You're not messing anything up. I'm having a really good time, and I want you to have a really good time too. And we're _going_ to have a really good time today, the both of us. So stop worrying about it. Okay? It's going to be fine. And it's going to be fun."

Bård bit his lip and nodded, then looked back over the water.

Vegard waited a moment before saying softly, "If there's something you don't want to do, you know you can just tell me. I'm not going to make you do it and I'm not going to be mad."

Bård shook his head.

"I just want you to know that. I'm not going to push you to do something if you're not feeling up to it."

Bård said nothing.

Vegard studied him carefully. "It's whatever you want. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." Bård nodded again, then uncapped the water bottle in his left hand, taking a quick swig. "I'm okay. I just feel like crap."

"I know."

"I'm trying really hard."

"I know. It's okay."

"We're going to have a good day looking at dinosaurs," Bård offered after a moment.

Vegard nodded. "Yeah, we are. It's going to be awesome."

"Yeah. But what if one of them breaks loose and tries to eat us?"

"I'll give you the same advice Calle gave me when I told him we were coming here," Vegard said, smiling. "If something chases you, run."


	2. deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers finally arrive at the resort.

They arrived at Isla Nublar just as the park was opening. Vegard had insisted they try to make the first ferry in to the island in order to beat the crowds of tourists. It didn't appear that they had beat very much at all, considering there were already so many people on the ferry heading to the resort, but Vegard was relieved to be there so early in the day anyway. Getting there had taken longer than he had expected, so disembarking the ferry and setting foot on dry land felt like such a relief. Now that they were finally there, they could get the next leg of their vacation started. Vegard had high hopes that the next two days would be the most exciting and unforgettable days of their trip.

"When they first opened, they only had eight species of dinosaur," he said, leading them away from the dock, luggage in tow. "Now they've got fourteen different herbivores and six carnivores. That's got to be like fifty tons of food a week or something. Isn't that crazy?"

Bård, who was trying his best to keep up with his brother amongst the crowd, sighed. "Not as crazy as deciding to wear jeans today."

"You can change at the hotel once we check in," Vegard replied.

"I really need to pee."

"You should have peed when we were on the ferry."

"I didn't have to go then. It just hit me suddenly."

Vegard glanced back at him and while doing so nearly collided with a Romanian. "We're almost there. Can you hold it?"

"Of course I can hold it," Bård defended, re-adjusting his grip on the luggage handle in his hand. "Do you think I'm five years old?"

"Do you want me to answer that truthfully?"

Bård reached out with his free hand and playfully smacked Vegard over the back of the head. Vegard released a noise of protest and brought a hand up to rub at the inflicted area of his skull. He hadn't been hit hard enough to be seriously hurt, but regardless he still felt the need to be dramatic about it. When he looked back again, Bård was smiling. He had always had a bit of an infectious grin, and seeing his brother look so properly content for the first time in days (even at his own expense) left Vegard feeling extremely pleased with himself. So maybe this really hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

The two broke out into unanimous laughter just as the woman over the intercom greeted, "Welcome to Isla Nublar, home of Jurassic World. We hope you have a safe and enjoyable stay with us."

* * *

 

After a few minutes, the brothers were settled into seats aboard the island monorail in the direction of the Jurassic World resort. It was a relief to be sitting down after having spent so much time standing and walking, and the air conditioning was a very welcomed change for the both of them. There had been not very much to keep them cool while on the ferry aside from what very little shade they'd been offered on board, and as they were currently enclosed in the monorail car, they did not have to worry about the sun beating down on them so furiously.

Vegard sighed and rubbed at his arm. It was itchy. "Are you hungry? I feel like I'm about to drop dead."

"Not really. I think I'm okay for now."

"We didn't eat breakfast. We should have lunch when we get there, after we drop our stuff off at the hotel."

"Do we have separate rooms?"

"No," Vegard answered, glancing at him. "We have one. Why?"

Bård shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Did you want two rooms?"

"No. I don't care. Either way is fine," Bård said, shaking his head. "I was just wondering, since you made the reservations and everything." He hadn't known much about their plans for their stay on the island. Vegard had been the one who'd orchestrated the whole thing, and earlier Bård had been both too forgetful and too distracted to ask for many details about it. But now that they were approaching the resort, he was beginning to feel more and more curious about what adventures awaited them. He also felt bad about putting a damper on the trip with the way he'd been so sulky the past couple of days. As awful as he truly felt, he knew that Vegard had gone through a lot of trouble to plan this for him on such short notice. Vegard had not once left his side throughout their entire journey, even when Bård had told him it would be fine to. He had always tried to include him in everything he did, and for that Bård felt very thankful and very guilty. He decided to push his own consuming emotions aside for the time being, no matter how difficult it was, in order to try to enjoy their few remaining days abroad together. And even if he wasn't having a good time, for Vegard's sake, he would have to pretend he was. It was the least he could do for him in return. "Where are we staying again?"

"It's called the Hilton Isla Nublar Resort. And we might as well be having two rooms. The suite I booked is huge."

Bård smiled. "Really?"

Vegard smiled back at him. "Maybe. Or maybe we're staying in a supply closet. I don't know. We'll have to see when we get there."

"Did you really book a suite?"

"We're lucky I even managed to find any rooms available for us at all. Do you know how booked up this island was? It was cheaper for us to get one nice room as opposed to two crappy ones," Vegard explained, again scratching at his arm rather distractedly. "And the other hotel was completely full. But the one we're staying at looks better in the pictures anyway so I guess it worked out for the best."

"Oh." Bård thought for a moment, then said quietly, "I guess I never really thanked you before. For any of this, I mean..."

Vegard looked at him and shook his head. "You don't have to thank me. I've wanted to do this since forever. It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, but you did all the planning and you paid for everything yourself."

"That's because you're terrible at thinking ahead. And also because I wanted things to be a surprise."

Bård sighed. "You could have at least had me pay for the hotel or something. The flights. At least my own flight. I could've helped."

"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise," Vegard said. "And if I had left the flight to you, you wouldn't have come."

"You don't know that."

Vegard laughed. "You almost didn't come anyway, and I already had your ticket."

"That's because it seemed like such a stupid idea at the time."

"And it doesn't now?"

Bård shook his head softly. "It's not a stupid idea. It's a fine idea. Just the timing is stupid."

"I didn't think there was a better time. We both needed a little break."

"You keep saying that, but I know you did this only because of me. And that's why I'm mad about it."

Vegard blinked. "Wait, you're _mad_?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Why are you mad? I thought you said you were having fun."

"I _am_ having fun. I mean, I could probably be enjoying myself more if I didn't want to kill myself so much, but as far as things go..." Bård shrugged and turned to glance out the window. He was met with an overwhelming sight of green. He'd never seen an island so lush in his life. "I could be having a worse time."

Vegard paused. "Do you really want to kill yourself?"

Bård waited a moment before turning back to look at him. "Is that really a question you're asking me seriously?"

He was met with a frown. "Were you joking?"

" _Jesus Christ_. I'm fine, Vegard. Stop stressing so much."

"Well, then don't say things like that if you don't mean them."

"Fine. I won't say anything," Bård replied, returning his gaze to the window. "My lips are sealed."

Vegard sighed. "Are you actually mad at me?"

"Yes. And no. Both," came the answer. "I'm mad because you did all of this behind my back. I'm also _not_ mad at you because you did all of this behind my back because it was really nice of you and I know you were just trying to cheer me up. And I really appreciate that, even if I haven't really made it super obvious yet that I do. I know that I've been sort of a brat, but I _am_ having a nice time, and I _am_ glad that we're not at home. I was going to feel like shit whether I was here with you or not. If I'm going to be feeling like shit no matter what, I might as well be feeling like shit in Costa Rica. Surrounded by margaritas."

"I told you it wasn't just for you. I wanted to come anyway."

Bård nodded. "Yeah, but you wouldn't have come on such short notice if I hadn't been such a baby."

"You're not a baby. Maria screwed you over. You've had every right to be upset."

"Well, I was still a baby about it. That's the only reason you felt it was necessary to bring me here," Bård mused, shifting in his seat. "You hate spur of the moment things. You like to be prepared for stuff. So for you to suddenly think it was a good idea to not only make us hotel reservations and book us some flights across the world, but to do so with such limited time, I know you must have thought I was completely pathetic."

Vegard frowned. "I don't think you're pathetic. Not at all."

"Whatever. Either way, you decided to come _now_ because of me. So for that reason I'm a little pissed at you and also a little in love with you."

"In love?"

Bård turned to him and laughed. "Not exactly _in_ love. But...I acknowledge that you went through a lot of shit in order to make this vacation happen. And you've also been uncharacteristically nice to me throughout the entire time we've been here, even when I was a total dick to you at times. So, yeah. I'm mad that you went through the trouble because I don't think you should have done that, nor do I think I even deserve that, but I'm also glad that you did anyway. I think being away from the city has helped distract me a little bit. Now I'm almost terrified to go back."

"You don't have to be upset and you don't have to thank me. I'm just really happy that you decided to come."

"I am too. But when we get back home, I'm going to pay you for everything I owe you."

"You don't have to do that."

"Shut up," Bård said, punching him gently on the side of the arm. "And stop scratching yourself in public. It's gross."

Vegard frowned at him. "Ow! It's these mosquito bites. They're driving me crazy. And why do you keep hitting me today? You're not usually this violent."

Bård shook his head and pushed himself out of his seat by the window, giving Vegard a single glance as he squeezed by him and into the aisle of the car. "You're not supposed to scratch those. You tell me that all the time. And don't be stupid. You deserve to be hit because you're an idiot."

"Where are you going?"

"To the front of the car. Didn't you hear the operator's announcement? We're approaching the gates. I want to see."

"Oh. Okay."

Bård nodded and began to push his way through the car, leaving his brother to himself. Vegard stared off into the direction that Bård left for a few seconds before sighing, turning to look out the window. All he could really see was a collection of leaves. Beautiful leaves, of course, but still just leaves. After a moment or two, he heard Bård's voice calling for him.

"Vegard?"

Vegard glanced up to see Bård standing in front of him, looking impatient. "Huh?"

"What are you doing? Come on! I don't want to miss it."

"Miss what?" he asked, momentarily confused. It took him another moment to put two and two together, but by the time that he came to the realization that Bård wanted him to accompany him to the front of the car, he was already being dragged out of his seat by the arm. He wanted to protest, to remind Bård that someone needed to stay and guard their bags, but he knew there was no point in arguing. Bård was leading him through the aisle towards the front of the monorail as quickly as he possibly could without risking tearing Vegard's arm right out of its socket. Vegard was amused by Bård's sudden childlike excitement, and he had to admit that he was glad Bård was showing interest in something as mundane as passing through a single park gate. It was a good sign. "Would you slow down? Before you run someone over."

Bård dropped Vegard's wrist just as the two squeezed their way to the front of the car, behind a handful of wide eyed children. In the distance, the metal gates reading JURASSIC WORLD in large blue lettering were barely visible. The brothers smiled at one another.

"They're the original gates," Bård told him, quietly. "Can you imagine being here the first time Jurassic _Park_ was opening?"

"Yeah. Though I can't say I imagine myself surviving very long." Vegard let out a breath. "I can't even believe this place is actually real. Are we really here?"

"Should I hit you again to find out?"

Vegard frowned and turned his body away from his brother, just in case he tried anything physical. Bård laughed.

"Man, I wish Calle was here to see this. Or Bjarte. Bjarte would've loved this."

"They weren't invited because they weren't cool enough."

"Actually, they weren't invited because I forgot to invite them until it was too late."

Bård sighed. "Yeah. But you subconsciously forgot to invite them on purpose because they weren't cool enough."

"Yep. That's exactly it. And that's the excuse I'm sticking with."

"What do you think they feel like?"

Vegard raised a brow though kept his eyes on the approaching gates. "Who? Bjarte and Calle?"

"No. The dinosaurs. What do you think they feel like when you touch them?"

"Oh. I don't know. Bumpy? I suppose it all depends on the species."

"There's a petting zoo at the park. I want to touch one."

"I think that place is usually reserved for kids," Vegard said, motioning down to the group of noisy children in front of them. "But I want to touch one too so we're going there anyway."

"Remember when we were little and Mamma took us to see the fossil exhibit at the museum?" Bård asked.

"Yeah. I also remember you were pretty scared of the T-Rex, even though it was just bones. Mamma had to tell you a thousand times over that dinosaurs weren't alive anymore and that they weren't going to rise up from the dead to come eat you in the middle of the night." Vegard laughed at the memory. It amazed him to think that the same was no longer true. Dinosaurs were alive, and had been for quite some time now. And in a short amount of time he would too be able to see such a sight for himself. Something he had previously only been able to dream about. "I guess Mamma lied after all."

"And you told me my fear was irrational," Bård scoffed. "We'll see who's laughing now when you're in the mouth of a T-Rex."

Vegard laughed. "I'm not going to be in the mouth of a T-Rex. And you're not going to be either."

"Better hope not, or else Mamma would surely kill you."

"I'd honestly rather deal with a hungry dinosaur than with our angry mother," he said, glancing at Bård. "I think I'll just have to take my chances."

"Vegard."

"What?"

Bård pointed a finger out at the opening gates visible through the glass of the monorail. From this close in proximity, the gates were incredibly huge. As soon as they opened, the majority of the passengers at the front of the car released noises of awe and excitement. A child screamed. Immediately they were met with the sight of the park. Awestruck, Bård released a breath and shook his head in disbelief.

Beside him, Vegard refused to blink.

"We're here."

* * *

 

"Slow down! You're going to bump into someone."

Bård frowned and glanced behind him. Vegard was not moving nearly fast enough for his liking. "Come on. We can go a little faster. I need to pee."

Vegard stopped mid-step in order to let a six year old pass him before sighing. The moment the monorail had arrived at the station, Bård had all but grabbed his stuff and ran out onto the platform like a criminal fleeing the scene of a crime. Vegard was glad that Bård was excited to have properly arrived at the resort, and he understood that he was in dire need of a toilet, but Vegard was worried there was going to be a collision of some sort if Bård wasn't careful enough. And with so many people around, losing sight of his brother was another major concern. Vegard wasn't worried that Bård would not be able to take care of himself if they were to separate. After all, Bård was a grown man and had been taking care of himself for quite some time now. But still, losing track of each other would just be another setback in the day, and right now Vegard was hoping to stick to the schedule he'd formulated as much as possible. Things always ran smoother when there was a schedule.

"Vegard!"

"I'm coming," he said, following Bård towards the escalators. " _Herregud_. Hold your horses. I'm coming."

"I'm about to piss my pants, I swear," threatened Bård, making his way onto one of the moving steps. Vegard was a few paces behind. He placed a hand over the black belt at the side of the escalator and peered around them. The resort station was crowded and warm, and he desperately wanted to change out of his constricting jeans and into something more comfortable. Emptying his bladder was another important thing to check off of his to-do list.

"You're going to have to hold it. We still have to check in and I don't know how long that's going to take with all of these people here."

Bård frowned down at him over a couple from Spain. "I can't hold it that long. I've been holding it for too long already."

Vegard shrugged, then smiled politely at the woman observing him.

As soon as the escalator reached the street level, Bård began moving towards the hotel entrance. Vegard opened his mouth to tell him to wait but then thought against it, knowing there was no point in trying to get Bård to slow down when he was so determined to get there as quickly as possible. After a few moments, he too was able to step off of the escalator and onto the pavement. Bård had one foot in the open doors of the resort and was waving him over. When Vegard joined him, the two began to move inside towards the front desk. There was a line of families waiting to check in.

Bård saw this and groaned.

"Sorry," Vegard said, walking towards the end of the queue. "Maybe it won't take that long for us to get in."

"I can't hold it. Either I find a bathroom right now or I take a piss right here in the middle of this lobby," Bård said. He paused to take a quick glance around the building. If he weren't so preoccupied with relieving himself, he probably would have taken some real time to marvel at the amazing architecture. "And it's such a nice lobby too." He set his belongings down on the floor beside Vegard and sighed. "Okay, I'm going to try to find somewhere to pee. Maybe there's a public restroom around here somewhere. Watch my stuff?"

"No, I had every intention to let your things get stolen."

Bård rolled his eyes. "Funny. I'll be right back."

Vegard nodded. "Try to hurry if you can. If you don't see me in line when you get back, look for me by the sitting area over there." He pointed to the right.

"Yep," mumbled Bård as he excused himself, hurriedly making his way out of the hotel lobby and back outside of the hotel. He looked right and then left and then decided to go straight, spotting what appeared to be a young-looking attendant from the resort in a dark blue shirt giving a group of Chinese tourists some directions. Figuring this was his best chance to get pointed in the right direction, Bård wandered over. He had to wait a moment while the attendant finished relying information to the other visitors before being noticed. In that time it took for her to turn her focus to him, Bård learned from her name tag that she was called Lydia and that she was from England.

"Hi. How can I help you?"

"Hi. Do you know where I can find a restroom?"

The woman smiled and pointed back towards the monorail station. "Yeah. If you just head down those stairs there towards the rail platform and hook a left, the nearest restrooms are right there. You might not spot them at first because they're a little bit hidden, but just keep walking down that way and you'll eventually find them."

Bård released a breath in relief. "Thank you so much."

"My pleasure," Lydia nodded. "I hope you enjoy your stay at the Jurassic World Resort."

"Thanks. You too," he replied, heading in the direction that she'd sent him. It took him a moment too long to realize his response had made no sense, considering she worked there, but at this point he didn't really care nearly as much as he could. He had a destination in sight and he was determined to get there before disaster struck.

Sighing, Bård hurried down the steps of the monorail station, too lazy to brave the crowd of folk attempting to fit onto the descending escalator. Apparently he and Vegard had passed the restrooms on their way out of the station. As irritating as it was to know this, he was glad that relief was near. As he walked down the corridor she had instructed him to walk through, he spotted a women's restroom sign in the distance. There was a small line of ladies waiting to get inside. As crowded as it was there, Bård worried that there would be more waiting before he finally made it inside of the men's restroom. But as he turned the corner, he was amazed and relieved to see that there was no line at all.

Once inside, he hurried his way over to one of the urinals to relieve himself. His clumsy fingers almost could not get his zipper down fast enough, but after a moment he was able to release a breath in relief. As soon as he was done, he zipped his pants back up and sauntered over to the sinks. As he washed his hands, he stole a glance at himself in the dirty mirror before him. He looked as exhausted as he felt. Frowning, Bård reached for a paper towel to dry his hands. Had he really looked this awful all week? It was no wonder Vegard was worried about him. He truly, without a doubt, looked like absolute shit. And unfortunately, he felt a very similar way as well.

The breakup with Maria had been hard and had taken so much more out of him than he'd even thought physically possible. They'd been together since before they were out of high school, and no longer having her in his life even as a simple friend was taking a major toll on him. It didn't help that she had found another man to keep her satisfied while they were still together. Thinking about that made him want to vomit. On some days he woke up feeling so empty and so regretful that he felt he wouldn't be able to keep himself together. Most days Vegard was the only reason he made it through a day at the office without screaming at the top of his lungs.

Bård sighed. He wanted to go home. He also wanted to see dinosaurs, and also wanted to see Vegard have an enjoyable vacation while the opportunity was there. He could make it through the day. He was sure of it. He would have to. He really _was_ excited to be there at the resort after so many years of fantasizing a visit, although he had to tell himself to bring the excitement level up a notch just to compensate for whatever enthusiasm he'd failed to produce the past couple of days. The more he came off like he was fine the more fine he would feel. This was a skill he'd learned many years ago. Bård had always been pretty good at looking composed even when inside he was anything but. After so many years spent being in the spotlight, of practically growing up in front of the eyes of the country, he'd mastered the art of faking a smile. He could fool almost anyone into thinking he was having the time of his life, except for maybe Vegard and perhaps their mother as well. Fooling Vegard today would not be an easy task, so he figured the only way to get by pretending he was fine was to actually fool even himself into believing it.

 _Pull yourself together_ , _man_ , he urged himself as he exited the restroom. _Quit being so pathetic._

Bård cleared his throat and made his way back over towards the hotel. He did not allow himself to think about Maria. By the time he got inside the lobby, he could see Vegard was nearly next in line to check-in. Deciding he didn't want to stand there and wait, Bård made his way over to the sitting area and by some strange miracle managed to find an empty seat to rest in. He deposited himself there and took a moment to breathe and shut his eyes. They had a long day ahead of them in the sun and he wanted to enjoy the air conditioning as much as possible now before he had to bid it farewell.

* * *

 

Some incomprehensible amount of time later, Vegard was nudging him awake by the foot.

"Hey. You fell asleep?"

Bård blinked a few times and ran a hand through his hair. "No. I thought I just closed my eyes two seconds ago."

"You didn't. I saw you sit down. It took me a while to get us checked in. There was an issue with the computer and it was taking forever. But we're all set now," Vegard said, waving the door key at him. "Are you okay? You look really tired."

"I'm fine. It's just hot and everything's been taking forever. We can go to our room now?"

"Yeah. We're on the fourth floor. You found a bathroom?"

Bård nodded and stood, reaching for his bags. "Yeah, I did. What was wrong with the computer?"

"I don't know. It was running slow and it kept freezing up while the lady was trying to find our reservation. Guess even the computers here are overwhelmed by the amount of guests. But it's fine. I've got the key now so we can go," Vegard answered, motioning towards the elevators. "Come on. You can rest some more when we're up there."

"I don't need to rest. I just want to get this day of adventure started. I only fell asleep because I was so bored of waiting."

Vegard eyed him for a moment before he began walking. "Me too. I'm excited to finally be able to go have some fun at the park. I didn't think it was going to be so stressful getting here." He pressed the button to signal any one of the elevators to transport them to the fourth floor so they could find their room and sighed. "I'm excited to see the room too. I think you're going to like it."

Bård scratched at his nose. "Yeah? I think I'm going to like it too. This hotel looks really fancy just from the outside. How much did it cost?"

"I'm not going to tell you that."

"Why not? I need to know so that I can pay you for it later."

"Okay, fine. Since you asked, it was 200 kroner for both nights."

" _Faen ta deg_. You're so full of shit."

Vegard smiled. "Relax. Don't worry about how much any of this costs right now. We can worry about finances later. Just try to enjoy yourself."

Bård hummed thoughtfully. "What time does the park close?"

"I don't know. I think 10:00?"

"Oh. How long are we going to stay there?"

"For as long as we want to, I guess," Vegard shrugged. "Our passes are good for all day today and tomorrow. We don't have to do everything in one day."

"I doubt it's even possible to do everything in one day."

Vegard furrowed his brows and pressed the elevator call button again, impatient to get up to their room. "We can do a little bit today and a little bit tomorrow. I know there's plenty of stuff to do. I was looking at all the attractions on the website before we got here. There's a lot at the actual park itself, and the resort has a spa and a pool and even golf and tennis courts. Plus, they've even got some hiking trails on the island that we can do if we feel like it."

Bård shook his head. "Not in this weather. I'd rather jump into the raptor exhibit."

"You and me both, actually."

The elevator dinged and the doors finally opened. Thankful, the brothers hustled inside, dragging their luggage with them. Vegard instantly hit the button with the number four on it. But just as the doors were closing, a short and wide woman in a floral printed shirt came waddling in their direction, waving a frantic hand in the air. "Hold the elevator! Hold the elevator, please!"

Despite his overwhelming desire to get upstairs, Vegard sighed and stuck an arm in the doorway to prevent the elevator from closing.

The woman released a breath tiredly and flashed a grin. "Thank you so much. Oh! I was afraid we were going to miss it. Come on, Frank!"

A moment later, Frank, a middle aged man in khaki pants joined them. He was carrying with him what looked like a rather heavy suitcase and a bright red purse hung over his shoulder. Bård took note of this and smiled to himself. He felt it was safe to assume the purse belonged to the woman in the elevator, but he still found the sight a bit comical. Frank looked absolutely miserable. Bård wondered if it was even fair to feel sorry for himself now when it was so obvious that other people in the world were going through worse experiences than he was.

"Which floor?" Vegard asked.

"Seven, please," the woman answered, fanning herself. "Thank you, dear."

"Not a problem."

"Geeze. It's so hot out there, isn't it? It's not very often I have to deal with humidity this awful. It's terrible for my skin."

Vegard nodded as the doors finally closed. "Yeah. It's quite warm. But at least the hotel is air conditioned."

The woman furrowed her brows and gave the two a good once over. "Are you two brothers?"

"Unfortunately," Bård answered, giving her a small nod. "How could you tell?"

"You two look exactly alike. That's how I could tell."

Vegard laughed. "You know, we hear that a lot when we're abroad, but for some reason nobody in our homeland seems to think so."

"Oh? Where are you boys from then? I can't place your accents. Are you European?"

"Yes, we're from Norway."

A look of recognition flashed over the woman's face. She smiled. "Ah! The land of Ikea. That's my favorite furniture store. Everything is so nice and affordable. And I also love their meatballs. They've got some really great meatballs, don't they, Frank?" She didn't even give him a long enough time to reply, though it didn't appear to either Bård or Vegard that he had any intention to. "Oh, my daughter just moved into a new apartment with her husband and I accompanied her to Ikea to pick up some stuff for the place. You should see it. It's very stylish."

Bård fought a laugh. "Oh. Ikea isn't Norwegian, though. It's actually Swedish."

"Yeah," Vegard added, gently. "But I'm sure your daughter's place looks wonderful. There's plenty of good stuff to buy there."

"Oh, it sure does. Tell them, Frank. I think it came out looking cute. Say, what's the difference between Sweden and Norway?"

The brothers glanced at each other.

"That's...not really an easy question to answer," Vegard replied. "There are a lot of differences."

"Oh. But there's still meatballs in Norway, isn't there?"

Bård smiled. "Yes, I believe there is."

The woman nodded. "Right! So the two can't really be that different after all, can they? Anyway, have you two been enjoying your visit to Costa Rica?"

"So far we've been enjoying it," Vegard said, ignoring the first question. "But we're really anxious to get to the park. We've never been there before."

"Neither have Frank and I. Isn't that right, Frank? We've stayed at the resort one time before in 2013 but we never actually went to the actual park."

"Oh," Bård blinked. "Are you two planning on going this time around then?"

The woman shook her head. "Heavens no. There's too many children. And it's very hot. The humidity is bad for my skin."

Bård raised his brows at Vegard.

"I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay at the resort anyway. I hear there's quite a lot to do," Vegard said, offering a smile. He glanced up to see which number floor they were on. They were about to hit four. "This is our stop here, so my brother and I will be having to cut this conversation short. But it was very nice meeting you and I hope that the rest of your day goes well."

"Thanks, sweetheart. Same to you," the woman grinned.

The doors opened and Vegard began to lead the way out of the elevator. Bård waved at the couple inside and then followed his brother.

"Bye."

"See ya, hon."

Once the elevator doors were closed and the brothers were making their way towards their reserved room, Bård laughed. "What do you think? Americans?"

"I thought so," Vegard said, walking down the hall. "But then I saw one of their passports hanging out of her purse. Canada."

"Oh. Do you think she was being serious when she asked us about Sweden?"

"I don't know. Can you blame her confusion though? Both countries _do_ have meatballs. And Ikea. That would confuse anyone."

Bård grinned. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Now I'm beginning to question whether or not I'm actually from Norway at all."

"Don't you mean we?"

"Nah, you're from Turkey. Of that I have no doubt about."

Vegard shook his head. Bård always managed to sneak in a Turkish joke whenever possible.

"Which room number are we in?"

"416," Vegard replied, turning a corner. "It should be down this way."

"You know, now that you mention it - or since you mentioned it earlier, I should say - I think I _am_ getting a little hungry," Bård said, following. "We should eat something."

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day. I'm starving. I feel like I could pass out."

Bård thought about this. "If you pass out, am I allowed to feed you to the dinosaurs?"

"Why would you even want to do that in the first place? Do you really hate me that much?"

"No. I just think it would be an interesting way for you to die. First man in Jurassic World history to get devoured by the animals."

Vegard stopped in front of their designated room and gave him a glance. "Why do _I_ have to be the first man devoured by the animals? Why not you?"

Bård shook his head at him. "Because obviously I'm going to die being impaled by a unicorn in an Irish pub. Come on, Vegard. Use your head."

Fighting a laugh, Vegard rolled his eyes and unlocked the door of the room with the key card he'd been given downstairs at the front desk during check-in. Carefully, he pushed the door open and sighed. "I feel like maybe I should be worried that you've already decided how we're both going to perish in these random freak accidents, but frankly I'm too distracted now by the thought of food that I don't care as much as I probably should."

"Mine isn't going to be a freak accident. That unicorn has got it going out for me."

"Right. Well, we can worry about that later," Vegard said, leading the way into the room. "For now, let's just drop our bags off and go. There's a few restaurants at the park we can eat at. Hurry and change your pants before I keel over and start rotting." He shut the door behind them as they entered.

Bård stopped and widened his eyes. Vegard hadn't been bluffing. He'd really booked them a suite. "Oh my god."

Vegard came up beside him. "What? Do you not like it?"

"Like it? Are you kidding me?" Bård dropped his belongings in the middle of the floor and began to make his way, quickly, over towards the large windows visible from the opposite side of the suite. As he grew closer, he realized they were not actually windows but glass doors leading out to a small balcony. Bård opened his mouth in shock and gave Vegard an excited look before pushing the doors open, stepping outside. "Jesus. Vegard, come look at this."

Vegard obliged. When he stepped out of the suite and onto the balcony, he sucked in a breath. Beyond the hotel was the park itself. From this viewpoint they had an amazing shot of the place in its entirety. He made note of the grand Samsung Innovation Center and the crowds of park visitors flocking around the premises. And to top it all off, behind all of the buildings in the park were some of the most picturesque mountains Vegard had ever seen. From here on the fourth floor, he could really see how lush and prolific the island truly was. He could only imagine what sort of spectacular view the Canadians had from floor seven.

Bård turned to him and smiled. "It's even prettier than I thought it would be."

"Yeah. I was just about to say the same thing."

"This place is huge, Vegard," Bård said, taking one last glance at the park before moving back into the suite. "Is this really our room?"

"Unless they gave me the wrong key and room number, yeah. It's ours."

Bård wandered from one side of the suite to the other, trying to observe as much as possible. The suite was separated into three sections. There was a communal space upon entrance, which led out to the balcony. On either side of the common area were two separate sleeping chambers, complete with beds and flat screen TV's. There was also a mini fridge and microwave in each. Bård blew out a breath and inspected the single bathroom near the suite's door. Vegard had truly gone out of his way to ensure that he had an enjoyable stay on the island. Bård was both impressed and annoyed with his brother for this.

"So, what do you think? Does it meet your standards?"

"I'm going to punch you in the face."

Vegard blinked. "I'll take it that means you're satisfied then."

"You really didn't have to get a place like this. I wouldn't have minded staying somewhere cheaper."

"There was no place cheaper. The other hotel was all booked. And I thought if we were going to stay at the Hilton, we might as well make the most out of it."

"Jesus. I want to be mad at you for doing this but I can't even pretend to be right now," Bård said. "This place is just too cool." He wandered back over towards one of the sleeping quarters and decided to claim it as his own. The bed looked extremely inviting so he gave it an experimental sit. It was the softest bed he'd ever touched. Realizing so, he sprawled himself out over it like a starfish. He wasn't sure he'd be able to get up ever again.

Vegard walked in with his bag and set it on the dresser, raising a brow. "I take it this is your side then."

Bård smiled up at the ceiling. "I might be in heaven right now."

"Yeah, well, you won't be the only one in heaven if we don't go find some food soon," Vegard warned him. "Come on. Take your pants off so we can go. I don't want to die today. It's way too early to die."

"I don't know if I can. I don't think I can even move."

"If we don't go soon, Bård, I might just get hungry enough to eat you."

Bård furrowed his brows. "But if you eat me, then who's going to feed your body to the dinosaurs?"

"The unicorn. Now let's go."

"Fine. But we're sleeping in tomorrow," Bård pouted, peeling himself away from the comforts of his bed. "For as long as I want."

Vegard nodded. Sleeping in sounded good to him too. And so did a burger. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want. Let's just get ready and head out. We've got a lot to do today and I want to get started immediately." He began to walk towards the other end of the suite in order to give his brother some privacy while he disrobed. "Put on your most comfortable shoes. You don't want your feet to start hurting again."

"Okay, mom. I'll be sure to do that."

Once out of Bård's space, Vegard made his way over to the bathroom. He figured it was better to try and empty his bladder now that he had the chance to, in the private comfort of their own suite, than wait and have to use the toilets at the park. He'd never cared much for public restrooms. After peeing and washing his hands, Vegard wandered back into the communal area of the suite where Bård was waiting for him, perched on the arm rest of the small sofa. He was sporting much fresher clothing.

"That was fast."

"I'm excited," Bård said, standing. "Let's go."

Vegard nodded. "You don't need to grab anything else before we leave?"

"No. I have everything."

"Okay." Vegard grabbed the key to the suite from the coffee table and grinned. "Then let's go see some dinosaurs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part was supposed to be longer but it was already getting pretty lengthy so I decided to end this chapter here. Obligatory filler stuff. I promise there will be real dinosaurs in the next chapter. And a lot of angst, if you're into that. I think most people are into that. Also, just as a quick FYI, it's safe to assume the brothers are usually speaking to each other in Norwegian and anyone else in English, unless specifically stated otherwise.


	3. trois

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers finally spend some good times with dinosaurs. And, unfortunately, some not so good times.

"What do you think?"

Bård took one glance at his brother and laughed. "I think you've lost your mind if you're actually considering getting that."

Vegard pulled the straw hat from off of his head and frowned at it. It was light and airy, speckled with small holes, and draped over the midsection was a piece of white fabric with the Jurassic World logo on it. He'd plucked it off the shelf thinking it had looked cool, remembering rather regretfully that he should have brought a hat with him to the park that morning. The sun on Isla Nublar was beating down on them relentlessly and, considering how early it still was in the day, Vegard knew that having a hat on him as their adventure progressed would come in handy for keeping him cool. After all, wasn't that what the sole purpose of a hat was? To keep him cool and protect him from skin cancer? He didn't see what was the problem. "Why?" he asked, turning towards Bård. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing's wrong with it. It just looks a bit tacky, that's all."

"Tacky? It's a hat."

Bård smiled, then turned to inspect a rack of black printed t-shirts. "Yeah. A hat that goes right over your head where everyone can see it."

Vegard hesitated. "Is it that ugly?"

"Well, it's not _that_ ugly. That is, if you're trying to dress like a park ranger. Or like that woman in the elevator. I think she had the same one."

"No, she didn't. Her hat was different. Hers didn't even have the white stripe on it. And it wasn't from the park."

"Yeah. It was a significant improvement," Bård answered, distractedly. "Get it if you want. But don't say I didn't warn you if you never get laid again."

Vegard gave the straw hat one more glance over and then, with an inaudible sigh, set it back down on the shelf where he'd found it. He had never been one to understand much about fashion, but over the years he had naturally come to care more about his outward appearance than he had before. Bård had always known more about what looked good and what didn't. Bård used to say it was because he had more space in his brain to keep that sort of information, whereas Vegard had so little space remaining because of all the useless information he stored about airports and protons. Vegard sometimes wished he had half as much insight as Bård did into the fashion world. But then again, he definitely cared more about airports anyway.

Shaking the thought of his head, Vegard began to make his way past the section of clothing. If anything, he could find another hat later should he deem it absolutely necessary. One that his younger brother didn't feel the need to laugh at. He had almost forgotten they'd come to this souvenir shop for a specific reason, and discussing appropriate hat attire was not it.

"I'm going to go find the sunscreen," he said. "I'll be over there."

Bård nodded absently and continued to search through the available shirts.

Vegard made his way across the shop slowly, finding there were too many things that were grabbing his attention. He told himself earlier that he wasn't going to make any big purchases until later on, before they left the park, since it would surely be a pain to carry around souvenirs for everyone back home all day. He was eager to head out in search of dinosaurs and unforgettable experiences, not so much presents. But, unsurprisingly, keeping focused on the task at hand was proving to be rather difficult. It had been a last minute idea to search for some more sunscreen before venturing out into the sun, being that they'd run out of the stuff the day before. Vegard was not interested in burning, not again, so after finishing their meals at Yoshinoya, the brothers quickly dipped into the nearest souvenir shop in hopes of finding some sort of UV protection. Instead they'd found a plethora of pricey but nonetheless entertaining merchandise. Vegard was in the middle of inspecting a fossil digging kit when Bård pulled up beside him.

"Did you find it?"

Surprised by his brother's sudden appearance, Vegard nearly jumped. "Jesus, I didn't even see you."

Bård shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Sorry. I just wanted to know if you were ready to go."

"No. I didn't find it yet," Vegard said, placing the box back onto the display shelf. "I got a little distracted by all of this stuff. Did you see this thing? You can dig fossils out - well, they're not real fossils, they're plastic - but you dig them out of the dirt like you would a real dinosaur on a dig. And they give you all the proper tools and everything. Isn't that cool? I wish I had something like this when I was younger."

"Yeah, it's really cool. But you know what would be even _cooler_?"

Vegard turned to him. "What?"

"Seeing real living dinosaurs, instead of plastic ones," Bård answered, grinning. "Which is actually something that we might be able to do, considering we're on the only island in the entire world that actually _has_ them. Is that something that possibly interests you?"

"Hmm. I don't know. I do really like plastic."

Bård paused for a second, then laughed. "Okay, then I think I know what I'm getting you for Christmas this year."

Vegard smiled at the thought, wondering with amusement what in the world his brother was possibly planning for him. Knowing Bård, it was going to be something ridiculous. After a moment, however, he shook his head and tried to focus on the matter at hand. Now was not the time to be worrying about Christmas, after all. He and Bård were still in need of sunscreen, and he didn't want to waste any more unnecessary time loitering in gift shops when they could be out there, admiring some raptors and pterodactyls. He'd done a fairly decent job of keeping Bård in good spirits so far, and he didn't want to risk messing that up. Bård was clearly anxious to hit the exhibits, and rightfully so. Vegard felt the same way. "I'm afraid to ask," he said. "Come on, let's find the stuff and get out of here while we still have our sanity. And our money. If I don't leave in the next thirty seconds, I might be stuck in here forever."

Bård shook his head and began to follow him. "Closing your eyes might help. You won't see anything that you want to touch that way."

"Yeah," Vegard replied, moving along. "But then I'd probably crash into someone, which would be bad. And I'd never find the sunscreen."

"I guess. I never knew that dinosaur navel rings were a thing - let alone a thing that I really wanted to have in my life."

Vegard stopped in front of a display and searched for the sunscreen. He wanted something with good coverage, but he also didn't want one that came in too big of a container. They hadn't brought a backpack with them or anything, so if he could find something small enough to be carried in a pocket, he would be forever grateful. Then again, he'd spotted a fairly nice blue bag when they walked in. Would it really be so bad to splurge on something like that? "That's the problem with stores like this," he mused aloud. "You see stuff that you never knew you could need or existed, and you need to have it then more than anything. Especially the really stupid stuff. I saw some really bizarre things in here that were really expensive. And you know that people actually buy all this crap. It's incredible." Smiling, he plucked at a small tube of sun protection that came attached to a key chain. SPF 30. Good enough. "Okay, got it. Let's go."

Bård began to lead the way towards the single register, rubbing at his neck. "I don't even have my belly button pierced, but I'm tempted to buy it."

"The navel ring?" Vegard asked, raising a brow. "Why would you want that?"

"I don't know, Vegard. It's like I've been hypnotized or something. I don't feel like I'm in control. I must buy it all."

Vegard gave his brother a horrified look for a moment, then chuckled. The cashier finished with another customer just as they arrived to the checkout area, and Vegard offered him a smile as he set the key chain over the counter top. It seemed odd making such a small purchase, but later they would have a chance to do some more looking around for souvenirs. Later, when they crossed a few things off their to-do list first. "Hi," he said to the cashier who greeted him back with a painfully wide grin.

"Hello, there. Find everything okay?"

"I think so."

"Good," the smiley man replied, scanning the single item. "You two enjoying yourselves at the park today?"

Bård stepped forward and offered the cashier a small, polite grin. "We just got here, so we haven't seen much yet. But so far, so good."

"Awesome! You're going to love it. There's so much to do here." After hitting a button, the cashier told them, "Alright. Total will be $4.67."

Vegard made a reach for the wallet in his pocket, but Bård managed to somehow hand the cashier his own card before he even had a chance to close his fingers around it. Surprised, and at the same time not, Vegard raised a brow. Bård had insisted he pay for lunch when they arrived at the park, and Vegard had a feeling that Bård was going to be offering (and quite possibly demanding) to pay for things throughout the remainder of their trip, seeing as he obviously felt a little guilty that Vegard had been treating him to so much previously. Vegard didn't mind it. The trip had been his idea, and he'd all but dragged Bård out here against his will anyway. He didn't care about spending money on his brother. But Bård evidently did, which was sweet, but unwarranted nonetheless. Still, if it made Bård feel better, he wouldn't fight it.

"Do you need this in a bag?" asked the employee.

Both brothers shook their heads in response, but Bård answered, "No, we don't. We'll just carry it with us."

"Okie dokie, then."

Once the transaction was complete, Bård handed the key chain to Vegard and smiled.

"Thank you," Vegard said, nodding at the jubilant employee.

"Thank _you_ ," the cashier shot back, grinning from ear to ear. "You two have a wonderful day now!"

"You too," Bård replied, hurrying towards the exit. "Thanks."

Vegard followed suit, eager to embark on their next adventure. He knew there were a good handful of exhibits to visit throughout the island, and he wasn't entirely sure where to start. Bård had talked fondly of getting a hands-on experience with the animals. Vegard had seen online that there were opportunities to get up close and personal with the beasts. Of course there was the petting zoo that Bård had mentioned while on the monorail. He'd also heard it was possible to even feed a baby dinosaur somewhere, but he wasn't entirely sure how to participate in that. He assumed that sort of engagement would cost extra, and he unfortunately hadn't sprung for the most exciting ticket package when he'd initially booked the trip a short time ago. He made a mental note to ask someone in the park later about it. For now, there were other places he wanted to check out first.

As they stepped out into the blazing sun, Vegard stopped to grab a park map from the visitor stand near the exit of the gift shop. Knowing where they were going would come in handy, and he'd made it somewhat of a hobby to collect maps from places like this. It served as a good memory of where he once was.

"Okay," he started, unraveling it in his hand. The key chain was momentarily forgotten. "Do you want to check out the Creation Lab? Or should we find the petting zoo first?"

Bård turned, squinting his eyes from the brightness of the sky. "Is that where they make the dinosaurs?"

Vegard glanced up at him. "I think the hatchery is there, so yes. It most likely is. We can probably look at the eggs. I saw it on TV."

"I just want to see some dinosaurs already. It feels like we've been here all day and we've done absolutely nothing. Except maybe sweating."

"It's only..." Vegard stopped to take a look at his watch. "It's only noon. It hasn't been that long. And we should check out the Creation Lab first, I think. There's supposed to be a lot of stuff to do and see in there, and it's the closest thing nearby. We can go in there and look around for a bit, maybe see some babies, and then we'll move on from there to wherever. It would be really cool to check out where this whole de-extinction thing first started. We wouldn't have this park if it weren't for those insane scientists messing around with all that ancient DNA, you know."

Bård nodded and fought off an eye roll. "I know, science is great. We can go there. Let's just hurry. I've waited all my life for an opportunity like this. I want to do as much as we possibly can."

Vegard smiled, relieved to see his brother so focused on fun for once. "Alright, we'll do that then." He pointed to the side. "It's this way."

Impatient and excited, Bård immediately began walking in the direction that his brother had motioned. He only stopped short when he heard his name called.

"Bård."

"What?" he asked, turning. The sunscreen was shoved into his palm. "Oh, right."

* * *

The first step into the Hammond Creation Lab was just as surreal as the moment the brothers witnessed their passing through the park gates. The building itself was bustling with people - children running and squealing, parents running after them and screaming. What immediately caught their eyes was the nearly life-size holographic image of a dinosaur which appeared suddenly in the center of the room. Bård could hear someone explaining the species over the recording, but he was surrounded by so much noise it was impossible to really hear his own thoughts.

There was so much stuff to take in at one moment, it quickly became overwhelming. The brothers lingered through the halls for a while, marveling at all the distractions the place had to offer. Kids were dusting away at the remains of what appeared to be some sort of giant rib cage conveniently stationed in a corner of the building. It reminded Vegard of the small digging kit he'd seen at the gift shop, and he wondered momentarily what paleontologists were doing with their time now that there was little significance in finding the remains of creatures which were no longer extinct. They both got caught up in looking at separate things that for some time they forgot they even had brothers, let alone were on vacation with one of them. Eventually, after a quick search, Bård found Vegard animatedly chatting up one of the workers there, doing what he liked to call "nerding out".

Bård was more than glad that Vegard was having a good time. So far, he was having a good time too, but he was much less interested in the science of the park than his brother was. Vegard had always liked to get into the nitty gritty details of stuff like this. He thought it was fascinating. Bård had to admit that it was interesting learning about how this all came to be, but truthfully he was more interested in seeing the end results, rather than the grunt work they'd done to get them. He'd dreamed of one day seeing real dinosaurs in his lifetime, and as much as it was important to Jurassic World history, he was growing tired of reading about things like fossils. Still, as eager as he was to move on, he wanted to give Vegard some time to take in the full experience. It was Vegard's trip after all, and he wanted his brother to enjoy it as much as possible. He knew that Vegard wanted the same for him, so he tried to remain patient, and tried not to think about Maria.

After some time, once his discussion with the park informant completed, Vegard noticed for the first time his brother wandering in his vicinity.

"Bård," he said, moving to join him. There was a wide grin on his face and a childish twinkle in his eye. "Hey, there you are. Where have you been?"

"Just around," Bård replied, shrugging. He turned away from the plaque he was reading and raised a brow. "What were you guys talking about for so long?"

"Oh, he was explaining to me about the process of DNA extraction and how the embryos develop. It's really interesting," Vegard explained, beaming. "Basically, it all starts with the paleogeneticists extracting the necessary DNA from the blood of Jurassic-era mosquitos, which have been eternally encased in amber. Then they've got to engage in sequencing - which essentially means they need to analyze the DNA sample to basically map out the entire dinosaur genome within it. And doing so, they arrange those millions of pieces of genetic code into dinosaur chromosomes, and-"

Bård hid an eye roll from his brother, knowing this was what he got for asking. "That's great, Vegard. Really interesting. But are you ready to go now? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love hearing about DNA splicing as much as the next guy. And I want you to tell me more about it later, I do - but there's an actual T-Rex out there that is calling our names and I think it'd be really rude to keep the good man waiting. Don't you?"

Vegard blinked. "All the dinosaurs here are female, Bård, first of all. They're genetically designed that way to prevent unnecessary breeding. It was something they couldn't quite figure out how to accomplish in the past, when Hammond developed the first park, but they finally managed to find a way to remain in control of the population growth after all that. It's actually really interesting how they do it. Secondly, I'm not sure you know what DNA splicing is. And I thought you wanted to see the nursery. There's a tour starting in a few. They take you all around the lab to see everything. And sometimes, the guy said, that you can even see some eggs hatching. Wouldn't that be cool?"

"It sounds awesome," Bård said honestly. "But I'm sure I could learn just as much from you as anyone else who works here."

"Oh. Well, they definitely know more about it than I do, but I'm sure I could explain it to you," Vegard said, shrugging. "We can go."

"Did you want to do the tour? Because if you want to, we can. I don't mind it," Bård told him. "I just thought if you were done we could head out and go see them feed the stegosaurus or something. But if you want to go on the tour with everyone else then we can do that later. I don't mind the wait."

Vegard smiled and shook his head. "Don't be silly. I know you're itching to get out there. Let's go."

Bård tilted his head, grinning. "Are you sure? I really don't care if you want to do this. I want to do what you want to do too, not just what I want."

"I already know most of what they're going to tell us anyway," Vegard said, grabbing his younger brother by the arm and gently leading him towards the door. They had to stop more than a few times to avoid colliding with an overly excited child along the way. "Besides, it's getting way too crowded in here and it's making me feel claustrophobic. If we have time later, we can come back after it gets dark. By then most of the families with little kids should be settling into their hotel rooms, so it should be considerably less busy and loud. But either way, I don't really care. There's always tomorrow if we miss our chance today. It's really not a huge concern of mine."

"Okay," Bård replied, stepping out into the sun. "No problem."

"It was really cool in there though," Vegard said, nodding. "Where should we go next? To see the stegosaurus?"

Bård peered into the crowds of visitors in the park and shrugged a shoulder lazily. "Maybe. Does it say what time the feeding's at on the map?"

Vegard pulled the park map from out of his pocket and unfolded it. When Bård leaned in to take a look, he opened it wider to allow his brother a better view. There was a lot of information printed on this piece of paper, but it wasn't very long before his eyes landed on the correct section. He read off some basic information under his breath before stating clearly, "The next feeding isn't till three. There's still a couple hours until we can see that."

Bård did his best to hide his disappointment. "Okay."

"But there's a mosasaurus feeding show in..." Vegard pulled away to glance at his wristwatch. "A little over half an hour. Well, more like forty-five minutes, but they probably start seating earlier. We can do that, if you want. That seems pretty cool."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I heard those things were huge."

Vegard nodded and continued ogling the map. "They are. They also have a T-Rex feeding show too. I would say we should do that, considering we're right by the T-Rex Kingdom, but the T-Rex shows don't run at the same time as the other ones do. They run every two hours or so, but the first one just ended so we'd have to wait a lot longer. That's something to remember for later, though. In the meantime, we can just wander around, I guess. I'm sure we'll find something to do while we wait." Vegard folded the map and placed it back into his pocket for safe keeping. "We probably don't even have that much time to kill anyway. The stadium's huge and seats like thousands of people. I'm sure it's already filling up with people as we speak."

"We should probably just head over there then," Bård said, stopping to pull out his phone and glance at it. "Try to get some good seats."

"That's probably best," Vegard said, furrowing his brows when he saw Bård frown. It disappeared so quickly he wasn't entirely sure he saw it at all. He tried to tell himself that he hadn't. "Come on. Hopefully there's still some good spots near the front."

* * *

If Vegard could describe the mosasaurus feeding show in only one word, he would say it was terrifying. Bård seemed to have a very similar opinion on the matter, judging by the way his fingers seemed to curl around his knees so tightly his knuckles turned white. A lot of people around them seemed to be having similar reactions throughout the majority of the show. Vegard knew these beasts to be immense and powerful, but it wasn't until he saw the animal shoot out from beneath the waterline that he realized just how minuscule he was in comparison. It was their first real exposure to one of the prehistoric creatures at the park, and it filled Vegard with both awe and intense fear all at once. This was no joke, nor was it a dream. This was real. For once, he had seen so with his own two eyes. And as excited as the adrenaline rush left him, there was a moment or two where he wasn't sure that this was a good idea after all. Not so much the vacation, but the entire de-extinction thing as a whole. It just didn't seem right to live in the same world with these monsters. He knew they were contained here on the island, and had been for a long time now, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something about this was very, very wrong.

Still, despite feeling wary of the animal's overwhelming strength and size, Vegard felt appreciative of the opportunity he and Bård were given to witness such a show. He wasn't sure that he would get the chance to again, nor was he really sure that he wanted to, so he would enjoy it now while he could.

" _Jesus Christ_ ," he cursed, giving his brother a nervous laugh. "I didn't think it was going to be that big."

Bård turned to him and smiled, though he looked stressed. "Me neither. It caught me so off guard, I nearly shit my pants. I swear."

Vegard shook his head, trying to shake off some of the water from his hair. When the animal had fallen back into the water, it had left nearly the entire arena soaking wet. The fact that Bård had reached into his pocket to glance at his phone again for what felt like the hundredth time now didn't go unnoticed by him. He wondered what was keeping his brother so preoccupied now, when earlier Bård seemed nothing but impatient to witness some of nature's (and humankind's) creations. Bård didn't seem too bothered by the fact that his clothes were dripping. He had looked worried and restless since the moment they'd sat down in their seats, but before Vegard had chalked it up to nerves for the show. He'd certainly felt them himself. Now he wasn't so sure that was the case. Something was certainly bothering his brother, at this point it was simply impossible to tell what.

"Did your phone get wet?" he asked.

"What?" Bård said, turning to him. The words seemed to register a moment too slowly in his head. "Oh, no. It's okay. My pocket protected it."

Vegard nodded. "Good. I didn't know the entire park was a splash zone. We should have bought ponchos."

Bård made a noise of agreement, but said nothing. They continued watching the show in relative silence, only broken occasionally by Vegard's intermittent commentary. Once the show concluded, the two began to make their way towards the exit, shuffling in between bodies. It had been easy to come in and get settled into their seats, but with everyone trying to leave at one time, time began to pass excruciatingly slow.

"- and then, since dinosaur DNA is millions of years old, they need to fill in some of the gaps they find in the gene codes," Vegard continued, not having finished explaining the process of DNA extraction and dinosaur creation earlier while at the Creation Lab. He figured now was as good a time as any to enlighten his brother on the matter. "They have to use DNA from related species, like birds and reptiles, to fill in the missing sequences. Then they insert that completed DNA into an egg in the hatchery, where the baby dinosaurs can grow. There they're monitored and kept in conditions which simulate their mother's nests until they're ready for the nursery. So basically they have to monitor the temperature and all that, to make sure the egg is in the proper conditions necessary for growing a dinosaur..."

Bård pondered for a second over how cool it would be to grow dinosaurs like plants in a garden. Then he shook the thought out of his head and tried to pay attention to what his brother was saying. It was easier said than done.

"Then, once the eggs are ready, they'll be turned to the nursery until the egg hatches. And when the baby is born, it's taken to a species-unique nursery where scientists and dinosaur behaviorists can give the infant some special maternal care before it's old and strong enough to be moved into its proper enclosure. Kind of like what we sometimes do with other species of animals when they're born at zoos and stuff. We take care of them until they're ready to be on their own, only they usually have mothers to watch over them most of the time. In this case, the dinosaurs don't actually have mothers to nurture them so, in turn, we've got to do all of that for them. Otherwise they'd all die."

"I feel like there's something funny about the fact that we care so much to not let these things die in our hands," Bård said. "But I don't know what."

"De-extinction is our way of playing god," Vegard replied, taking a step closer towards the exit. "Apparently everything we did before just wasn't enough."

Bård hummed in agreement. "I used to ask myself, after reading about some of the weird experiments humanity has done over time, if science has gone too far. But now I can say without an inch of doubt that it certainly has. I mean - I get that this is cool and all, and I'm anxious to see more of it, but I'm also kind of terrified that scientists are never going to stop messing with shit they shouldn't be messing with. It's like Calle said. Dinosaurs had their shot at life, and for whatever reason, they didn't make it. That's how it was supposed to be. I don't think we should have tampered with the universe like that, even if it's taught us a lot about genetics and modern science. It seems like a really stupid thing to be doing."

"It is. But when has that stopped people from doing stupid things?"

"Maybe dinosaurs will end up taking over the planet again and humankind will be wiped out. Maybe that's what was supposed to happen."

Vegard glanced back at him and raised a brow. "Yeah, maybe. But let's just keep our hopes up that it won't."

* * *

After the brothers made it out of the arena safe and sound, Vegard suggested they check out the aviary. It was one thing to see the animals in the water, but it was another completely to see them soaring through the air. Bård agreed, but Vegard had the inkling suspicion that he wasn't quite as interested in the idea as he was. When Vegard asked whether Bård had another idea in mind, he was given a shake of a head as answer, but little else. When Vegard asked if there was something wrong, Bård was very adamant that there wasn't, then expressed his interest in visiting the aviary, which he suddenly seemed very keen on seeing after all. Birds of prey were cool, he said. It was going to be great.

And it _was_ great, and Bård really _did_ seem mesmerized by the pterodactyls flying overhead, but Vegard could tell that he wasn't focusing as much on the animals as he was his own thoughts. Vegard figured he must have been thinking about Maria, and that maybe he'd been fooling himself into thinking that his brother would actually be okay for more than five minutes, even at a place like Jurassic World. He knew how torn up his brother was about the breakup, and he saw how the pain had eaten through him all this time, even while lounging at the beaches of Costa Rica, margaritas in hand. It was silly of him to have thought that he'd get his brother's mind off of Maria completely, but he'd certainly tried, and he felt disappointed at himself - and, guiltily, to some degree, Bård - for not succeeding in this task.

He knew that Bård was trying to have a good day with him, and he appreciated that, but he didn't want to force his brother into doing stuff he didn't want to do. It wasn't fair. He told his brother that morning on the ferry that he wouldn't make him do things he wasn't okay with. He didn't want to push him too hard. But in reality, some part of him did, because he knew that if he hadn't brought Bård out here, he'd probably be in bed now, sulking, instead of looking at dinosaurs. In reality, he knew that if he allowed Bård to be sad for the rest of his life, he would. And as the older brother, Vegard often knew what was best. At least, he liked to think so. He wished that Bård wouldn't care so much anymore about this whole mess, because Bård was the kind of person that cared too much about things and people, and that often seemed to hurt him in the long run.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again, not really believing any answers he'd gotten before. He didn't want to pry. He knew how much Bård hated it when he did. But something here obviously wasn't copacetic, and he wanted to make sure Bård was comfortable before anything else. No point in making his brother more miserable than he already was. "You look kind of distracted."

"I'm fine," Bård said, a little too defensively to be true. "I'm just...hot. And tired. I think the sun is draining me. I'm already dry as I was this morning."

Vegard gave him a small nod. "Yeah, me too. Do you want to take a break? We can find somewhere in the shade to sit. Maybe buy some more lemonade."

Bård seemed to think about this for a moment, letting out a sigh. "Yeah. We can do that, if you want. I don't care."

"Well, it's only a suggestion. What is it that _you_ want to do? Do you want to rest? Or do you want to keep going?"

"I don't know," Bård replied, shrugging. He brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. "It's up to you. I'm fine either way."

Vegard shook his head. "I'm fine either way, too. That's why I wanted you to decide."

"I'm really fine with whatever you want," Bård said, shrugging again. "Seriously. It's okay."

Vegard wanted to believe this, and part of him did, but he knew better than to continue on when Bård looked like he was going to crumble into himself like a landslide at any minute now. He definitely didn't want to leave the park, and he hoped that taking a breather would help Bård refocus a little. Perhaps all he needed was some water, or fuel. There were plenty of snack carts he spotted along the way. A snack really sounded good right about now. "Okay. Let's just relax for a little bit, then. I was thinking maybe we could get some churros or something. My legs are actually getting a little tired. That sound good?"

"Fine," Bård agreed, giving him a quick grin. "I'm down for some churros."

"Yeah," Vegard laughed. "I knew you would be."

Together, the brothers made their way away from the aviary and towards the nearest snack station. After waiting in line for a minute or two, they managed to procure their freshly baked churros and miraculously managed to find a seat at an empty table nearby, safely protected from the sun by a giant umbrella. They both collapsed into their chairs heavily, the weight of the day weighing on them. Bård bit into his snack quietly, and Vegard told him a story about how Magnus had once hilariously choked on a pretzel during a break time at the office. "Of course it wasn't so funny during that moment," he explained, "because he was choking and everything. But when he got the pretzel dislodged from his throat, it ended up shooting right out of his mouth and into Christine's cup of coffee. It ended up splashing all over her shirt, and she couldn't stop laughing. Magnus too, though I think more out of relief than anything."

"You never told me," Bård said, furrowing his brows. "How come I didn't hear about it before?"

"I don't know," Vegard answered, scratching his arm with his free hand. "It was one of those days the week before last that you weren't at work, and I guess I just forgot to mention it when you were. I really wish you had been there. You would have laughed too."

"It seems wrong to find joy out of a friend nearly dying," Bård mused, taking a final bite. "But I must say that I find a lot of joy out of it."

Vegard laughed. "Yeah. I thought you would." He finished his last two bites, then balled the trash up into his fist. "Well, that snack really hit the spot. I was starting to get a little hungry." He paused to take a glance at his phone, checking to see if he had any messages. He didn't. "I'm going to go to the bathroom real fast. Do you need to go too?"

"Nah, I'm okay. I'll wait for you here."

"Okay," Vegard said, pushing out his chair. "I'll be right back. Then we can figure out what else to do next."

Bård gave him a smile and stuck a thumb in the air. "Sounds good, _bro_."

Vegard excused himself, and returned within a few minutes. When he got back, Bård was waiting for him right where he'd left him, but he was staring intently at the cellphone in his hands. Vegard approached him slowly, so as not to startle him, but when he sat down across from him, Bård seemed to startle anyway. "What have you been looking at this whole time?" he asked, motioning towards the phone. "You seem really focused on that."

"It's nothing," Bård said, shaking his head at him. "I was just reading an article about something. It was interesting."

"You've been reading the same article online for the past hour?"

Bård looked immensely displeased at Vegard's questioning. He pocketed the phone quickly. "Of course not. I was talking to Calle before."

"Oh? What's he been saying?"

"Nothing important," Bård replied, shaking his head. He let the topic die with that response. "Are you ready to go? Because I am if you are."

Vegard tried not to look surprised at Bård's obvious dismissal, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure. Where to? The Gallimimus Valley? Or did you want to see the triceratops territory like we talked about earlier? Both of those places are close by. Though it'd probably be faster to just take the monorail there, since that's what it's here for."

"Yeah, whichever sounds fine. It doesn't matter. I'd like to see it all."

"Right. Well, I'd say let's try to knock out some of the stuff on this side of the park before venturing off anywhere else. There's no use in backtracking later. We'll cover this area, then move onto the next. Less walking that way." Vegard stood, turning to glance over his shoulder in an eastward direction. "I think the Gallimimus Valley is that way, if you want to do that. The triceratops should be the stop after that."

"Let's check out the valley first. Since it's closer."

Vegard nodded. "Okay, good plan." Grabbing his water bottle, he motioned for Bård to follow him. "Ready?"

Bård pushed out his chair and nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

On the monorail, on the way to the Gallimimus Valley, Bård broke.

"That wasn't Calle you were talking to, was it?" Vegard quietly asked, already knowing the answer.

Bård's expression was all the response he needed to be sure. "It was Maria," he said, releasing a sigh. "She texted me out of nowhere."

"What did she say?"

"I don't know." Bård shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know. She just started saying stuff about how she regretted everything that had happened, and that she was sorry for what she did with that guy..." Here he paused to give a laugh, though it was one that was devoid of all humor. "I don't know. It was just some stupid stuff like that. She said she misses me."

Vegard sighed, unsure of how to feel about Maria's reaching out after so much time. Part of him wanted to continue being angry, but part of him was somewhat thankful and relieved to know that she had the decency to apologize to Bård for the pain she'd caused him, even though it was obviously only making him feel worse at this moment. It wasn't like this was going to change much. At the very least, he was right in his prediction that she was going to realize what a big mistake she'd made. He only wished she was realized so when they weren't on vacation. Bård had been having some fun earlier that day, and now not so much. For that, Vegard was angry. He hoped that Maria's contact would help his brother move on, and wouldn't only bring his progress back further, but he had a feeling he was wishing for too much. It was obvious this was the only thing occupying his brother's mind now.

"Of course she misses you," he offered, consolingly. "You guys were together for a long time. It's okay to miss each other."

"She told me she wanted to get back together."

Vegard turned to him, worriedly. "What did you say to her?"

Bård smiled sadly, then looked away, focusing his attention on the window. "I told her it wasn't the best time now. I didn't really want to talk about stuff like that when I'm not at a place where I can think straight. I don't think she understood that, because she got upset and started sending me a lot of messages after that. I think she thought I was trying to avoid her or something. I think part of me was, too. But she just went on and on and on...about everything, really...and about how it was all my fault that we broke up. That I drove her away because I was so selfish and because I didn't care about her enough. I don't know. Just things like that."

"That's not true," Vegard told him, trying to meet his gaze. "You aren't selfish. You've never been."

"I don't know about that," Bård said. "I tried to be there for her when I could, but I don't think I could enough times. It wasn't what she needed."

"Bård, listen to me when I tell you this. You aren't selfish, and you never have been. You are the most selfless person I've ever met in my entire life. And I mean that truthfully. I'm sure there are plenty of people back home who will back me up on this, too," Vegard replied. "Just because you guys didn't work out doesn't automatically make it your fault. I told you this when it first happened, and I'll tell you it again until you finally get it. Things like this don't just happen because of one person. There were a lot of factors in play, so you can't take the blame for everything falling apart when it wasn't your fault."

"I know what you said, and thank you for trying to cheer me up. But you weren't there, so you don't know what really happened."

Vegard frowned. "Okay, then tell me what really happened."

Bård shook his head, then leaned it back against the window. "I don't want to talk about this now. Not here."

"Okay. Then we can talk about it later, if you want to," came the gentle reply.

Closing his eyes, Bård laughed. "Vegard, I don't want to talk about this at all. Not anytime, or anywhere. And not with you, or anyone. You don't get it."

"What is it that I don't get?" Vegard frowned again. "I thought you told me everything after it happened. I thought it was pretty clear."

"You're just going to blame her for everything that went down," Bård said. "You think she's at fault more than I am."

Vegard tried not to explode. "She cheated on you, Bård. I'm pretty certain you did nothing like that to her. I'd say she's definitely at fault for something."

Bård suddenly looked angry, and turned to look at him. "This is exactly why we can't talk about it. You hate her because of this, and you want me to hate her too. But I don't, because I love her, and I always have. And I know that she made a mistake doing that stuff. She made a lot of mistakes, just like I did. And that hurt, and of course I'm angry about it. But it isn't entirely her fault, and I don't want you to keep acting like it is. No matter what she said or did, I was still apart of that! I don't need you to keep treating me like I'm some sort of victim here, because I'm not. I'm not going to fall apart if you tell me I fucked up. I already know that I did, and I don't need you to protect me from that. It pisses me off that you think I'm not capable of picking myself up and dealing with the consequences. Maria didn't ruin things. If you swear that I shouldn't blame myself because there's so many factors that came into play, then it isn't fair that you blame her either. Because it wasn't her fault!"

Vegard was stunned for a few moments, unsure of how to react to his brother's outburst. Bård seemed genuinely angry, but the moment he finished his speech, he looked absolutely mortified. And, worst of all, he looked more sad than Vegard had ever seen him.

"I'm sorry," Vegard said, hoping to quell the situation before it got worse. He realized they missed their stop for the Gallimimus Valley. "You're right."

"No," Bård said, sounding distraught. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't..." He shook his head, turning his face away from Vegard. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Don't be dumb," Vegard told him, nudging him in the side. "I always want you to talk to me. No matter what. You know you can tell me anything. I won't get upset. And you're right. I have been putting a lot of the blame on Maria. In fact, all of it, I'd say. And you're right to say that that isn't fair. But from my perspective, I see it differently than you do. I see my little brother getting hurt. And, yeah, I guess I don't know absolutely everything," Vegard shrugged. "I wasn't there, and I wasn't the one in the relationship, so I wouldn't know completely. But from how it looked...? I saw you doing whatever you could to make this girl happy. And to make yourself happy too. And I saw how hard that was, because you two obviously wanted very different things. And I think you both sort of were hoping that that would eventually change. She seemed to hope that, at least. But it didn't. And when she realized that, she got unhappy real fast."

Bård remained silent as Vegard continued.

"Which made you unhappy too, because you knew that you weren't giving her what she wanted. I think she made it very clear that she wanted something more from you, but she didn't show you that until it was too late. By then, she'd already made up her mind that it wasn't going to work out with you. And I know you love her, Bård. She loved you too. But sometimes people just...aren't destined to be with each other forever, as horrible as that is. Even when you think they're perfect for each other. Sometimes, fate doesn't work out in the way you imagine it will. It can't always be in our favor." Vegard took a look around the car, noting that nobody seemed to be paying much attention to their serious conversation. He was relieved to see that. "I just want you to see that I wasn't trying to make you feel worse about anything. I know that it isn't entirely her fault, and I'm sorry that I made it out to be that way. But I just wanted to make you feel better because it kills me to see you like this. And blaming Maria seemed to be the easiest thing. It was like the only thing that made sense to me at the time, because I had no idea what to do to help you."

Bård released something that sounded like a quiet laugh.

"I don't know how to make you feel better. I know I can't fix it for you right away. But you're my little brother, and I know I'm supposed to at least try."

"You're so stupid," Bård said, shaking his head. He fumbled with his fingers in his lap. "You know that? You don't have to take care of me like that anymore. It's not like we're little kids now. I can take care of myself, even if sometimes I have a hard time with it. It's just because I've never been without her before. I mean, it feels that way. I didn't know how to handle it, but you shouldn't feel the obligation to handle it for me because of that. And you definitely shouldn't feel the need to take me on an expensive trip, either." Here he really laughed. "Not that I should be complaining. This has been a lot of fun, even though I've felt like I was losing my mind throughout most of it."

Vegard shook his head. "You're my little brother, Bård, and you always will be. Of course I'm obligated to help you. Even if I suck at it."

"You don't suck at it. You've done a lot to help me feel better throughout all of this. More than you seem to give yourself credit for. So thank you," Bård said, sincerely, turning to give him a small smile. His eyes were dangerously glossy. "I really appreciate the fact that I have you, even if you're such a weirdo. And I know you're not that good with emotional crap like this. I can't say I'm much better at it than you, honestly. I actually hate it. But it's important that you know that you've done a good job so far, and that I really owe a lot to you for keeping me this sane this long. I know it doesn't seem like much, but I would be a lot worse if only you'd let me."

"Are you crying?" Vegard asked, alarmed.

Bård laughed again, amused with himself, before he reached a hand up to dab at his eyes. "Of course. Can't you see I'm trying to thoroughly embarrass myself in public?"

"Oh, yeah. Want me to tell you a joke so people will think you're crying from laughing so hard?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm not going to be a crybaby."

Vegard shook his head. "It's okay to be upset."

"Maybe so," Bård shrugged. "But I'm not going to make a scene at this place. I'm an ugly crier. I want people to still think I'm beautiful."

"I really am sorry for all of this, Bård. I'm sorry that everything sucks."

"Me too. But it's like you said. Sometimes fate doesn't work out in our favor. And as much as that sucks, that's life. And it's all part of the experience."

"It's not always all bad," Vegard said. "Even when things seem to turn out really shitty, sometimes better things happen later on because of it. One experience will always open a door to another. You know that more than anyone. And maybe if it's meant to be, then it'll be. If someone's supposed to be in your life then they'll find a way back to you, even if it takes a while. I firmly believe that."

Bård made a face. "Vegard, you're starting to sound like our mother."

Vegard laughed. "You're right. Let's stop this now before it gets even weirder."

"Not sure that it can. We missed the stop for the valley, didn't we?"

"Yeah. The triceratops too. I didn't want to interrupt you when you were talking," Vegard said. "But the Gyrosphere is next, I think. Do you want to try that?"

"If I said I wanted to leave and go take a nap, would you hate me?"

Vegard gave his brother a small shake of the head. "Of course I wouldn't hate you. I told you that I wasn't going to make you do stuff you didn't want to do. It's all up to you, whatever you want. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be disappointed. Not in you, of course, but just in general. I really wanted you to have a good time with me. I wanted to get your mind off of stuff."

"You did, until she started talking to me. Which isn't your fault. I can turn my phone off," Bård said. "It's probably better that I do, anyway."

"If you really want to go, we can go. I understand."

"I don't want you to miss out on this stuff while you're here. I don't want to ruin the trip for you."

Vegard shook his head again. "I already told you you weren't doing that. Don't worry about me."

"Then you don't worry about me either. I'll do the Gyrosphere with you. I want to do that."

"Are you sure? If you don't want to, you really don't have to. It's not that important."

Bård shook his head, too. "Yes, it is. And we have to do it, because when else are we going to? Besides, it might help take my mind off of all this Maria drama. It's probably best we try to finish enjoying the rest of the day. There's no point in moping about something that can't be changed now. We came here to have a good time and take a break from our lives. So let's just make the most of it, then. I'll try harder."

"You don't have to try anything," Vegard said. "You're doing fine. But okay, let's do it. I'm sure it's probably going to be entertaining."

* * *

"What is exactly _is_ a Gyrosphere?" Bård asked, once they were queuing. "I just realized that I have no idea what I'm waiting in line for."

Vegard turned to him and smiled. "In layman's terms, it's a big sphere that has seats in it in which we sit and ride around in."

"Like a hamster ball."

"Yes, like a hamster ball. Only this is a very expensive, very technologically advanced hamster ball."

Bård pursed his lips thoughtfully. "So, we get to drive this thing around? With dinosaurs? That seems kind of dangerous. What's it made of?"

"For that information, you'll have to consult the brochure," Vegard answered, folding his arms over the railing. "But it's got sensors or something. You can't get too close to them. They wouldn't let you do that. It's a liability. And there's fences that are supposed to keep the animals contained in their areas, they're just invisible to the public. It's totally safe. Anyway, I doubt any of these are carnivorous. They're probably just plant eaters. They can't eat us."

"Can't? Or won't?"

"Won't. But like I said, we can't get too close." Vegard turned back to him. "You're not scared, are you?"

Bård laughed and shook his head. "Vegard, this park is insanely cool. But I'd lying if I told you I wasn't scared shitless of it, as well."

Vegard nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, well, I can tell you with complete confidence that you're in the same boat as I am."

"It's sort of weird to think about how successful this place is now, considering its history and everything. What happened in San Diego."

"Don't think about that stuff right now," the elder Ylvisåker replied. "There's no use, because that isn't going to happen here."

Bård shrugged. "Yeah, well...we don't know that."

Vegard gave him a look. "No _,_ we don't. You're right. We can't really know anything. But why would you waste your time worrying about it? It ruins the fun."

"I didn't say I was worrying. I just said it's weird to think about how well the place is running now, considering how poorly it was run in the past."

"You've got my agreement on that." Vegard gave a nod. "Let's just be thankful we get this opportunity at all. Even if it ends up killing us."

Bård laughed. "I thought you said not to think about stuff like that."

"Bård," Vegard said. "I've been thinking about stuff like that since the moment we walked in."

"Glad to know I'm not the only one."

"Here," Vegard started, reaching into his pocket to pull out the park map. He quickly unfolded it, and began to read off the informative summary he found on the Gyrosphere. " _'Roll your way through the Age of Dinosaurs in the world-famous Gyrosphere. Be on the look out for Apatosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and many more!_ ' Jesus, these names are impossible to pronounce. _'Your in-sphere monitor will help you identify these relatively docile dinosaurs. Our advanced invisible fence technology assures the animals will stay in designated zones without unnecessary bars or cages. And if you venture too close, our automated system will roll your Gyrosphere back to a safe distance. Suitable for older children and adults.'_ See?" He turned to Bård. "I told you they were harmless. And I was right about the sensors."

"Would be kind of cool to see a T-Rex here, though. I mean, as long as it isn't chasing us or trying to eat us."

Vegard put the map away in his pocket. "We can visit the T-Rex Kingdom after this if you want to. Unless you want to go rest."

"I'd rather stay with you. I need the supervision."

"You're going to order $10,000 worth of ice cream and chocolate cake through room service, aren't you?"

Bård laughed and nodded. "That's exactly what I had planned. But I know you won't let me, so we're good."

"And our wallets will be too."

"What if I got my belly button pierced?"

"Don't start that again."

* * *

After 35 minutes, which (according to another visitor in line) was a very short wait for this ride, the brothers were situated side-by-side in their own individual sphere. They buckled in their seat belts just as the doors shut, and the sphere began its journey forward.

" _I'm Jimmy Fallon_ ," Jimmy Fallon said through the small screen between their seats. " _And_ w _elcome abroad the Gyrosphere_!"

Both brothers gave each other a look before returning their focus to the video. Jimmy offered them information that they mostly knew already, about the ride itself and about the riders' safety. He also explained what the vehicle was made of, which answered Bård's earlier question. Once the video concluded and Jimmy's face disappeared from view, Bård turned to glance out at the sights. So far there was very little to see except grass.

"We should have done something like that," Vegard thought aloud. "They should have hired us to do it."

"We could have done a much better job," Bård agreed, jokingly. "We're obviously much cooler than Jimmy Fallon."

"And more successful. We could have made another music video for it. What Does the Dinosaur Say? Or something like that."

Bård laughed loudly. "Okay, now that is just lame and distasteful."

"Everything about us is lame and distasteful. It's part of our charm," Vegard replied, guiding the sphere along. "This is so cool. I can't believe we're actually doing this. I've always wanted to."

"I feel like a hamster rolling around in a backyard."

"Yeah. If the backyard was filled with dinosaurs..." Vegard's voice trailed off the moment the magnificent beasts came into view. An entire herd of them. Through the thick glass he could hear them groaning, and could feel their stomping as they waddled past their circular vehicle. A surge of energy suddenly passed through him, and he gripped the handle (which helped propel the vehicle forward) even tighter as they continued through the valley. He couldn't even count how many dinosaurs there were, there were so many. And multiple species too. Stegosauruses, triceratops...

"Vegard," Bård uttered, eyes wide.

"I know," was all Vegard said. There were no words to adequately describe just what he was feeling at this moment, witnessing this for himself.

For a few moments the brothers rode on in silence, reveling in the experience of walking among dinosaurs. Around them the creatures seemed to move quickly, breaking out into a slow scramble. Vegard increased the speed of the Gyrosphere slightly to compensate for this. Seeing dinosaurs earlier had been amazing, and he had felt the rush of it plenty of times, but this was a whole new experience that far surpassed the others. When he turned to look at Bård to gauge his reaction, he saw the wide grin spread across his face, and the way his eyes were glued to the glass.

Both of their smiles fell slightly, however, when they heard a quiet beep and a voice say, " _Ladies and gentlemen: due to a technical problem, all our exhibits are now closed. Please disembark all rides and return to the resort. Thank you_." Over the small TV screen between at their feet, the words RIDE CLOSED flashed in red.

Bård turned to Vegard with the look resembling that of a child who just had their favorite toy taken from them. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Vegard said, shaking his head. A number of thoughts ran through his head. "Could be something wrong with the power grid or something."

"Fantastic. This is the greatest moment of my entire life and the entire park breaks down."

Vegard sighed. "I don't think the park's broken down. That doesn't make sense. They probably just have a minor technical issue, like the announcement said. That always happens in places like this. Something or another is always going wrong. Rides at theme parks are always breaking down."

"Yeah. But at most places, when a ride breaks down, they don't shut down the entire park."

"They aren't doing that," Vegard said. "Maybe it's just this one."

"You heard what the lady said. All their exhibits are closed. They want us to head back. That's not odd to you?"

Vegard turned back to face his brother, who now looked a little unsettled aside from disappointed. He had to admit that something seemed strange about this, but he didn't want to get carried away with trying to think about what went wrong. Chances were nothing really had. At least, that was his hope. "Relax, I'm sure it's fine. If we have to get back to the resort, for whatever reason, then we'll go back to the resort. It's not a big deal. I'm sure they'll fix whatever problem they have and then let us come back in." Vegard began to slowly lead the vehicle forward. "It's probably more of a safety precaution than anything serious, anyway. Protocol. And maybe they'll give us a pass or something, so that we don't have to wait in line next time."

Bård frowned and leaned his head back against the seat, looking all sorts of miserable. Vegard did a better job of hiding his own disappointment.

"Look, we'll finish the course now anyway because we have to get back. I don't think we're supposed to turn around. We just need to hurry."

"I don't think the point of this ride is to hurry. I think we're supposed to take our time."

"So we'll take our time then," Vegard said, trying to lighten the mood. "But we'll do it fast."

Bård rolled his eyes. "That doesn't make any sense."

Vegard laughed. "Yeah. And riding around with dinosaurs does?"

"Just shut up and drive."

After a few minutes, the brothers came to a stop. To their right stood a giant fence, which was obviously the border of the Gyrosphere valley enclosure. They'd seen fences like that before throughout the park. Nothing was significantly odd about seeing one here. The only thing that struck them odd was the fact that this particular fence had what looked like a gate, and this enormous gate was left wide open. Something which didn't seem very safe or smart at a dinosaur park.

Bård gave his brother an uneasy look. "Is that supposed to be open?"

Vegard blinked. "I don't know. If it wasn't supposed to be, it probably wouldn't be."

"Maybe that's why they're closing the ride. Maybe somebody messed up and opened it by accident. Or forgot to close it."

"I don't think anyone's been in and out through here for a while. If they screwed up, they would have closed it by now. They wouldn't just leave it open." Vegard at least hoped not. He knew that the dinosaurs were supposedly contained in their own areas with special electronic fences, so there was no reason to assume that one could escape from here. The thought was absurd. This was the safest theme park in the entire world. Something like that just wouldn't happen. Not when they were in the center of it all. "It's probably supposed to be like that. We're probably supposed to go through it. Like a shortcut."

Bård didn't seem so sure. "A _shortcut?_ I don't think that's part of this ride. I think we're supposed to keep moving straight."

"No, but..." Vegard furrowed his brows to think. "Maybe they just opened it for us so we could get out faster. Kind of like an emergency exit, you know? They probably just want us to get back so we can get off this thing and get to the resort. That would make a lot of sense."

"Yeah," Bård mused, not looking convinced. "Tons of sense. Unless of course you were dead wrong, and this is going to get us into a lot of trouble."

Vegard laughed. "They're not going to punish us, Bård. Trust me. This is probably where we're supposed to go. These gates probably open up by themselves, automatically, when they issue a notice like that. It's just to get people out of the way faster." He began to lead the sphere through the gates and into the trees. "There should be a clearing out here pretty soon. There's probably someone waiting for us."

"Probably? I hope you know what you're doing, Vegard. Because if we get arrested for this, I'm blaming you."

"I'm not so sure getting arrested should be your biggest priority right now," Vegard said, unconcerned. "Let's just worry about getting out of here."

Bård shrugged a shoulder in defeat. "Fine. But I mean it when I say that I'm going to hold you at fault for whatever inevitably goes wrong."

Vegard smiled in amusement. "Why are you being so negative? Don't you trust your big brother?"

"I trust him - to get us kicked out of the park for trespassing into restricted areas. Look around, Vegard!" Bård motioned to the jungle surrounding them. This definitely did not look like any park path he'd seen before. There was no sign of people, nor civilization. "Trees? Does this look like the right place to you?"

"You were upset that the ride was closing down," Vegard said, pointedly. "Whether it's a shortcut or not, we'll obviously get to where we need to get eventually. And worst case scenario, we end up in the wrong place. But they have sensors for that sort of stuff, so it's not a big deal. I'm sure they're tracking us right now and making sure we don't end up somewhere we aren't supposed to. If they need to send somebody to get us, they'll do it. But I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have left that gate open right there where we could see it if it wasn't meant for us. And even if it wasn't, that's not completely our fault. How were we supposed to know?"

Bård shook his head and focused his attention back outside. Still trees.

"Besides," Vegard said, sounding confident. "If we weren't supposed to be here, then why would _they_ be?"

Bård glanced up to see what Vegard was talking about, and raised his brows in surprise when he spotted a small group of dinosaurs beyond the treeline. Vegard gave him a smile, then continued to approach them slowly.

"They wouldn't let us roll into some other exhibit if there was any potential danger. They put us in this thing to see dinosaurs. We're seeing dinosaurs."

"What is that thing?" Bård asked, staring at the spiky creatures in awe.

"Ankylosaurus," Vegard answered immediately. "And before you ask, they're herbivorous. As long as we don't get too close, we're perfectly safe."

Bård whistled. "Alright. Perhaps you were right about this path after all."

"I told you. You need to have some faith in your brother every once in a while," Vegard teased, knowing that there wasn't anyone in the entire world who put more trust into him than Bård did. Both personally and professionally. "Not only did I not get us lost, but I've given you a chance to get up close and personal with some of these majestic creatures. So be thankful to your big brother, and enjoy this moment we have to share between the six of us."

"Six of us?"

"Yeah. You, me, and the four of them."

"I'm sorry, Vegard, but I thought you were supposed to be the smart one," Bård sighed. "There's not four dinosaurs, there's five."

Vegard made a face and started counting again, this time using his finger to point. "What are you talking about? There's only four. See? One, two, three, four."

Bård lifted a finger of his own to point towards the center of the glass in front of them, where the (somewhat distorted) reflection of another, much larger, dinosaur appeared between them. From this vantage point it was only a face - one as big as the sphere they were safely encased in - and a set of unbelievably sharp teeth. At first it was difficult to make out whether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the moment he saw the thing snarl, he knew he wasn't imagining it.

"Five."

It took Vegard a moment, but once his eyes focused on the reflection his brother was motioning to, he started to feel sick. He knew, instantaneously, that this was going to be a problem. There was no way this wasn't going to be. With a shaky breath, the brothers turned their heads to look at each other, their expressions a cocktail of apprehension and perplexity. Then, slowly, they turned in their seats to glance at what was obviously behind them.

Instantly, they were greeted with the jaws of an incomprehensibly large creature as it roared.

Terrified, the brothers screamed, and Vegard reflexively tried to propell their circular carriage forward, before Bård even had a chance to shout, "Go, go, go!" But it was to no avail. The massive beast quickly sprung into a heavy-footed run and, in the process, knocked the sphere forward with its impressive and dangerous strength some thirty or forty feet. The force caused them to break into a spin, and Vegard could only catch glimpses, albeit brief ones, of the ankylosauruses running for safety around them as they whirled out of control. He was aware of Bård's shouts and Bård's terror, and even more aware of the fact that he'd really fucked up.

"It's fine. It's fine," he said loudly, trying to convince Bård (and himself) the moment the sphere began to slow. "We're okay. Calm down. We're okay."

Panicked, Bård looked up just in time to see one of the ankylosauruses release a mighty roar. Then, from seemingly out of nowhere, the monster from before creeped into view, razor sharp claw raised threateningly in the air. It roared for a second time and Vegard, realizing that they were now caught in the middle of a battle between two colossal dinosaurs, tried frantically to steer them out of the way of danger. But unfortunately their luck only seemed to worsen tenfold because, as Vegard attempted to move the sphere forward, they were met with the crash of the ankylosaurus' rock hard tail against the safety glass. The force knocked them back again several feet and left the glass at the impact point slightly cracked. Vegard instinctively shot an arm over Bård's chest, bracing himself with eyes shut and a scream caught at the back of his throat as they smacked, hard, into the trunk of a tree.

When Vegard opened his eyes again, he realized they were somehow upside down, hanging - anchored in their seats by only their seat belts.

Bård let out a shaky breath and tried to find somewhere to put his arms, trying to steady himself in this awkward position. He was not capable of formulating words. The heart in his chest was beating too loudly, and there was a slight ringing in his ears. Luckily, they didn't need words to communicate a lot of the time, and especially not now. Vegard automatically reached for the lever between their seats, trying in vain to get them out of this unfortunate position and far, far away from these dueling dinos. But the sphere wouldn't budge. It was obvious they were stuck.

" _Fuck_!"

Bård swallowed a lump in his throat and gave Vegard a look, before they both turned their attention to the frightening battle within their vicinity. The larger dinosaur appeared to have singled out a single ankylosaurus, and the two were snarling menacingly at one another, trying to scare the other off. It didn't seem wise to pick a fight with a dinosaur of any size, especially not one the size of an ankylosaurus, whether it was carnivorous or not. But the other dinosaur, one whose species the boys couldn't immediately put to name, was clearly at least double the size of the ankylosaurus. Perhaps even three times the size. And it was also clearly more powerful. It slashed the ankylosaurus' side with a quick swipe of its claws, turned it over with a push, and promptly bit into the defenseless creature's neck. Bård shut his eyes and turned away from the sight, horrified. From beside him, Vegard released a small, strangled groan, symbolizing his own repulsion at the bloodbath.

"We're...safe in here, right?" Bård asked a few seconds later, eyes still closed, and voice quiet. It reminded Vegard of when they were kids.

Vegard, unfortunately, didn't seem to believe the words that came out of his mouth as much as he wanted to. "Yeah, of course. Totally safe."

Bård forced a deep breath into his lungs and opened his eyes, noticing for the first time that his phone had, at some point in the chaos of the collisions, fallen out from his front pocket and onto the hard surface of the glass at their heads, which was now offering them a view of the ground, rather than the blues of the sky. Then, at the most hilariously coincidental time, it buzzed, and the screen came to life. Even from here, Bård could read Maria's name clearly on the message notification as he could hear his rapid heartbeat. He reached for it automatically, struggling for a few moments before he managed to wrap his fingers around it. With a phone, they could call for help they obviously needed, at least assuming he even had cell service in this horrid hellhole. He had to at least try.

Vegard seemed to have a similar idea because, while Bård was reaching for the phone, their hands met.

"I got it," Bård cried, relief pouring into his chest. " _Yes!_ I got it. Hold on..."

Holding the phone upside down and trying to get his trembling fingers to work turned out to be a much harder task for Bård than he imagined it would be, but he didn't have to try very long, because Vegard was quietly calling his name and grabbing onto him the moment he even got the home screen unlocked.

"Yeah-?" he asked, trying not to lose his grip on their only life support. "What?"

"Look."

When he did, he found a massive eye staring back at him, studying them. The phone slipped automatically from his hand, as did his previous hopes, as he held his breath and tried to grab hold of his brother. They were a mess of arms and fears as the dinosaur stepped out of view. Before they even had a chance to question whether or not they were going to be spared from the animal's vicious attacks, they felt a strong vibration in the ground, and suddenly they were turning and spinning the right way up. Somehow, the creature had managed to re-position the sphere back into a somewhat upright position with its front legs, leaving the brothers to lie helplessly on their backs. This also left them with no choice but to stare up at the beast, just as it poked a large claw through the front of the glass, piercing the same spot the ankylosaurus had previously weakened with its tail strike. The claw popped through the thick material with a crunch, and small shards of glass rained down onto their faces and chests. Both shielded their eyes from this, too stunned by the transpiring events to make a sound.

The first thing Vegard saw as he opened his eyes was the jaws of the beast bearing down on the spherical enclosure protecting them. He heard the distinctive sound of teeth crushing through glass, felt the unmistakable sensation of more glass pieces raining down on them, and then felt the sphere lift with relative ease. Bård's hand tightened around his wrist desperately as the creature brought the ball encasement down with a smash, trying to crush it completely against the ground beneath them. The glass at their backs instantly began to crumble.

The silence was broken by the snarls, and by the glass breaking, and by the brothers' timorous screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's taken me so long to continue this. I wasn't sure that I really wanted to, and then I got busy with life, and with making excuses. But someone on Tumblr a while back requested that I work on it again, so I decided to give it another shot. This is a pretty long chapter, at least compared to how long the others have been, but I really wanted to get the story moving along and finally get to the real action. I also threw in some brotherly angst because I need it in my life, and I assume you all do too. Thanks for being patient with me, and I hope to have the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can! In the mean time, here's $5. Buy yourself something nice.


	4. quatre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers try to get away.

Vegard never thought he would die like this.

It wasn't a way he imagined very many people would. He'd always thought that maybe he'd get sick and die that way. But that was after he'd already grown old and lived his life, of course. That seemed fair. Or maybe he would get into a car accident. Or maybe even a plane accident. He didn't want to suffer too much and he preferred a death that would come quickly for him. Perhaps, instead of being ill, he'd just die in his sleep at age eighty. Eighty seemed like a good amount of years to live, and he had to stay around that long to keep an eye on his brothers. He knew it wasn't up to him. Still, he had every intention for his younger brothers to outlive him. It was only fair that both Bård and Bjarte got to see their eightieth birthdays too. And he was convinced, until then, that they needed his supervision. No matter how much they really didn't.

When the sphere crashed down for the second time, Vegard was jolted back to reality.

However he'd expected it before, he was going to die being crushed and/or eaten by a dinosaur - which in itself seemed like a really cool way to die just for the fact that _nobody_ got to die like this. Except for maybe the people who had died at Jurassic Park or in San Diego. But that was ages ago, and he was an innocent tourist on a family ride at a park renowned for being the safest theme park in the world. He couldn't help but see the irony in that. But at the very least, he was comforted by the fact that it was him who was going to perish in such a cinematic fashion. It was better him than a couple of kids.

That's not to say he was happy about the situation. And especially not with Bård there with him, facing the same fate.

Perhaps if he were alone, Vegard would be quicker to accept the inevitable death brought upon him. It wasn't that he wouldn't have wanted to fight. He would have given his all to survive such an attack in any case, but he wouldn't have felt so guilty about greeting death in the end assuming he was by himself. With Bård at his side, screaming, Vegard felt not only the stress that came with getting _himself_ killed, but with getting his _little brother_ killed too. He didn't want to die, but he especially didn't want Bård to die. It wasn't something he was ready to allow happen, especially not because it would have been completely his fault. He had to do something to fix this, if he could. He had to at least try.

But what?

 _Think! Think_ , he scolded himself. It was nearly impossible to hear his own thoughts like this. The world was deafeningly loud, even as he stopped screaming. Bård was still there beside him, clinging to him by the arm. Vegard turned to him and saw that Bård's eyes were tightly closed, not daring to watch as the prehistoric beast's jaws bit through the few inches of glass which protected them from the outside world. Everything was happening so fast, but somehow things seemed to slow down - at least long enough for Vegard to figure that their best chance of survival was not sitting around and letting this happen. He didn't know how far they would manage to get, let alone how long they could outrun a creature so large and dangerously intelligent. All he knew was that if they didn't at least try, they would be dead in less than a minute. The odds weren't great either way, but if there was any chance that they might survive this, he would take it.

_Do something._

"Your seat belt," Vegard stage whispered. "Bård - your seat belt. Undo it. Hurry."

When Bård did no such thing, obviously too swept up in the terror of the moment to make sense of his brother's words, Vegard took control. In one fluid motion he held his breath, undid their safety belts, and prayed to a god he didn't believe in that he wasn't making things worse (not that they could get much worse, anyway). With a thud, the brothers fell from their seats and met the ground beneath them. A second later, the beast slammed the Gyrosphere down around them. Vegard pulled Bård close to him, though they barely missed getting hit by the sphere as it made its impact with the ground. When Bård met his eyes, Vegard could see the horror in them.

The dinosaur lifted the sphere one last time in attempt to crush through the glass. Vegard knew this was their one and only chance.

"Run!"

Without thinking, Vegard pushed himself up on both legs, pulling Bård along with him. Seeing as there was no time to make sure they weren't missing any limbs or were seriously injured, Vegard pushed his brother forward and urged him to move. Together, the brothers frantically tried to get away from the massive beast trailing after them, roaring. Bård could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and couldn't even feel the legs that clumsily carried him in the direction which Vegard directed him. There was no way they were going to be able to outrun this thing. It was too big. It was too fast. He could feel the earth shaking beneath its feet.

"Don't stop!"

He didn't.

At least not until they reached the edge of a cliff. He had to take an emergency step back just to stop himself from tumbling over the side of it, and into the water below. Trapped, with nowhere else to go, the brothers turned to watch as the dinosaur approached them from behind.

They'd tried. At the very least, they'd tried to get away. But there was no way they were going to get out of this now, Bård determined. He wasn't a negative person by nature, but he was smart enough to see the limits of their luck, and their lack of options. At least they were going to die together, as brothers. He and Vegard did everything together. It only seemed right that they be together now. Perhaps their mother would be comforted by this fact. Comforted by the fact that they had each other to hold onto in their final moments. Together, they wouldn't have to be so scared.

"Vegard," Bård began, unsure of what to even say.

Vegard, on the other hand, seemed to have some sort of idea. "We're going to have to jump."

Bård turned to him, overwhelmed and confused. "What?" When he saw Vegard peer over the edge of the cliff, he shook his head. It was too high. The water was too rough. And who knew what else could be lurking in that water? He could barely hear his own voice over the roar of the waterfall, nor the roar of the beast as it prepared to make its final attack. They weren't going to make it. It was too obvious. "No. We can't..."

But his brother didn't seem to listen.

"One."

Vegard grabbed his arm, hard enough to hurt him.

"Two."

The dinosaur charged.

"Three."

And suddenly, despite his fears, Bård felt his feet leave the ground. It took him a moment to realize he'd just jumped - or that he'd been pushed, maybe - but when he did, he squeezed his eyes shut again and braced for the inevitable impact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much shorter chapter this time around, but much more still to come! Stay tuned.


End file.
